Silent Reverie
by xenascully
Summary: Terror strikes close to the team...
1. Chapter 1

**Silent Reverie**

**Rated: T for now, for violence and language.**

**Summary: Terror strikes close to the team...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own them...but I love to write them.**

* * *

Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs stood inside the emergency room after bringing in a critically injured suspect in their latest case. He had been the one who shot him. But the suspect had had his gun aimed at his team, and he wasn't taking any chances. The man was obviously guilty, but Gibbs didn't want him to get off this easy.

He had sent the rest of his team home and called for Ducky to pick him up. Now he was just waiting. After signing some papers, and insuring that the suspect would be restrained until he could be picked up after treatment, Gibbs made his way outside to wait for his friend. It was dark, nearing ten, and the air was crisp and chilly.

An ambulance had just pulled up as he came out. EMTs were rushing out to assist the technicians in unloading the gurney. Gibbs glanced briefly at the patient before walking past them. And he stopped suddenly, turning back to look again. The bloodied body on the gurney was familiar... his heart began to sting as he made his way after the gurney. The technicians were rushing into the emergency room.

"Hey!" Gibbs shouted after them.

"Sir, you'll have to hold on," one of them called back.

"What happened to her?" he continued to follow them. But they didn't answer as they rushed the gurney in. Several E.R nurses and doctors met them and took the gurney from them through the O.R doors. One of the EMTs stayed behind and turned to Gibbs.

"Do you know her?" he asked.

"She works for me. What happened?" he asked, trying to look through the windows in the door.

"We happened to be stopping for gas at the Apple Market on Arlington and Edgemoor," the EMT told him, "I saw what happened...the guy pushed her back up against the car and he...he slit her throat."

Gibbs face went pale. His heart beat loudly in his ears. "We did all we could do. We need to let the surgeons do what they can now. She didn't have identification on her. So if you could give us a name, we could pull up her medical records and that would help." Gibbs opened his mouth to speak, but his voice cracked, and he stopped to clear his throat.

"Abby...Abigail Sciuto..."


	2. Chapter 2

Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo had returned to the bullpen, even though Gibbs had told them to go home for the night. He wanted to finish up some paperwork before heading home. It seemed like he'd only been there for five minutes before his cell rang. He saw Gibbs' name on the caller ID and wondered if he'd already returned from Bethesda.

"Hey, Boss," he answered.

_"Call Ziva and McGee," _he said. His voice sounded urgent, _"Need you to meet me at the Apple Market on Arlington and Edgemoor."_

"Okay. What's going on?" he asked, concerned by the tone in his boss's voice.

_"Abby's been hurt..."_

* * *

Tony was the first one to show up at the gas station Gibbs told them to meet him at. He saw Ducky's Morgan parked outside of the yellow police tape that surrounded the lot. Police cars where in front of the market, the lights spinning wildly and officers sprinkled about the scene.

DiNozzo parked next to the Morgan and got out, making his way toward his boss who was crouched beside Abby's red coupe. It wasn't until he'd crossed over the gas pump onto the white concrete surrounding them, that he noticed the vast amount of blood on the ground in front of Gibbs.

Realization hit him at that point. The blood was Abby's. Gibbs hadn't elaborated on what happened to her. But judging by the look on his boss's face, he knew it wasn't good.

"Boss..." Gibbs turned his head briefly, as if he'd just been jolted back into reality. Looking back down at the blood one more time, he slowly rose to his feet.

"Pull the surveillance tape," he said simply, and fished into his pocket for his keys. He'd always kept a spare for Abby, if she ever locked her keys in the car. And that seemed to be what she'd done tonight.

"Boss, what happened to her?" Tony asked quietly. He watched Gibbs' head lower as he faced the car. "Is she gonna be okay?"

"I don't know!" Gibbs' voice cracked as he turned around, and Tony saw the redness in his boss's eyes. Gibbs' eyes only met his for a moment before they darted around in the air between them. "Get the damn tape, DiNozzo," he said as he turned back to the car.

Tony swallowed as he turned away from his boss and headed into the market. "Security tape," he told the cashier as he held up his badge.

"I just gave it to the police," he replied. "They're outside viewing it now." Tony nodded and turned around, heading out and glancing around until he saw the open-backed police van. From the corner of his eye, he saw Ziva and McGee walking towards the scene. He looked over at them, grabbing their attention with a waving hand, and motioned for them to come to him.

He walked up to the van as they were searching through footage. "What's going on?" McGee asked as the two agents came up behind him.

"Go get statements from the cashier and witnesses," he told them. "They're all inside."

"That's Abby's car..." McGee said.

"I know that, Probie," Tony looked back at him.

"Well, what happened?"

"I- I don't know yet. Could you please just..." he sighed, glancing over at Gibbs who was sitting in the driver's seat of Abby's car. "Just go inside. Get the statements. I'll let you know more once I see the tape." McGee and Ziva shared a quick glance before nodding and heading into the building.

"Okay, here it is," Tony heard an officer say, and he turned around to view the screen. He squinted at the bad quality of the video as it began. He watched the red car pull up behind the gas pump. Watched Abby get out and pump gas, then replace the pump and walk off of the camera into the building, presumably. Almost immediately, she came back into the shot, running to the car. He watched closely, but saw no one following her.

She tried to open her door. Then she looked in the window, stomped on the ground and started fishing through her pockets. Out of nowhere, a man comes up behind her and spins her around, pushing her up against the car. He held a knife to her throat.

Tony watched intently as Abby attempted to defend herself. But then, suddenly, he saw the knife slice across her throat... The man ran off and Tony watched in horror as blood began flowing from her throat, spilling down the front of her clothes before collapsing onto the ground.

He felt hot fear run through his body, and the feeling of bile rose in his throat. He quickly made his way away from the van and ran outside of the police tape and tripped over on all fours, vomiting into the bushes that lined the parking lot.

Gibbs had heard the wretching agent and got out of the car to walk toward him. He saw Tony push himself up after coughing a few times. He stood there with his back turned as he tried to catch his breath. "Is she dead?" he asked when he could feel his boss's presence behind him.

"I haven't gotten that call," he replied. Tony was about to turn around, but spotted something in the bush next to where he'd emptied the contents of his stomach. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a latex glove, securing it over his hand before reaching into the bush to pull out the object.

Gibbs watched as Tony turned around. In his hand, he held a bloody knife...

* * *

**Earlier...**

Abby walked toward the market from her car. She held her jacket closed from the chilly evening air and noticed an off-duty ambulance pull into the parking lot as she opened the door. As she approached the register, she realized she had left her purse in the car, and turned around, aggravated at herself, and annoyed she'd have to go back out into the cold.

She ran to the car and pulled on the handle of her door, realizing it was locked. "No..." she peered into the window and saw her keys still in the ignition. "Damnit!" she stomped. Growling, she began to search her pockets, praying she didn't also lock her cell in the car. She could call Gibbs. He had a spare.

But just as she felt the smooth edge of her phone, she was spun around by strong, violent arms and shoved up against the car. "Hey, what are you-" she noticed him right away... "Oh my god..." She tried to fight him, but then she felt the cool edge of a blade at her throat. And the disgusting pain rolled easily over her neck, and then he was gone.

Only a few seconds passed before she could not longer stand. And as she hit the ground, she saw people running toward her. Then everything went black...

* * *

**more to come tomorrow :) hope u like so far!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Special thanks for pointing out to me my car mistake (I confused Ziva's and Abby's cars...its fixed now)**

* * *

Director Leon Vance held his phone to his ear as he watched the news on the screen from his bed. "Agent Gibbs," he said once he picked up.

"_Kinda late for you to still be at the office,"_ Gibbs replied flatly. Vance watched the car on the screen as it loaded onto the tow truck.

"I'm home," he answered, "Watching you on the news right now," he watched as Gibbs looked around for the camera. "Is that Ms. Sciuto's car I see? What's going on?"

_"Abby's at Bethesda, in critical condition,"_ he replied, _"She was attacked. Got my agents running the scene and we'll be back at the office to run the car."_

"I'll make a call and get someone into forensics to help out," he offered.

_"Won't be necessary. McGee can do what we need. And DiNozzo's been observant enough to know a little about what to do in the lab."_

"They're not trained forensic scientists, Gibbs," he replied.

_"I know that, Director. If we have a problem, I'll let you know."_ The call ended.

* * *

"Duck, how is she?" Gibbs asked once Doctor Mallard picked up his cell.

_"Still in surgery, Jethro. They've told me nothing yet." _They were both silent for a moment.

"I need you to get her clothes," he told him. "Ziva's on her way there to get them."

_"Have you found anything yet?" _Ducky asked in a concerned voice.

"Found the weapon he used. Had DiNozzo and McGee follow the truck back to NCIS and they'll be looking for prints. Do me a favor..." he paused and took a breath, "Find the EMT that saw it happen. Name tag said Greeg."

_"If I should happen to find him, what shall I tell him?"_

"Ask him if he'd be willing to come down to NCIS and help us with a description."

* * *

"I didn't see his face," Greeg told Tony in the conference room. They had gotten this same answer from everyone, but they'd hoped this guy would've had more to tell them. "He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt. His hood was up," Ziva sat next to the EMT, while Tony was across from them. "He was the same height as Ms. Sciuto, medium build. Might've had blonde hair..."

"Might have?" Tony asked in a low voice.

"I think I saw some sticking out of the hood before he ran out of there," he looked down at the table top, knowing he wasn't being of much help. "I'm sorry about what happened to your friend. I did all I could to stop the bleeding and make sure she could breathe on the way to the hospital."

"She was very lucky you were there," Ziva said when she saw Tony's distant glare.

"You'd be surprised how quickly someone can bleed to death from that particular type of injury..."

"I know," Ziva replied, her gaze drifting away from the technician and down to the table. Tony glanced up at her for a moment before turning back to the EMT.

"If you think of anything else," he said as he handed him a business card, "Please give me a call."

* * *

Tim McGee leaned over the table in the evidence garage, reviewing the surveillance tape for the tenth time. He tried to concentrate on the attacker, but consistently was pulled into a state of complete dismay when he watched Abby pushed violently against the car. So he focused the shot closer; he wanted to see the man's hands.

He heard the elevator open up behind him and turned to see Ziva and Tony emerge. Their faces indicated no new news. He pushed up from the computer and over to the car with a dusting kit.

"Find any prints on the knife?" Tony asked as they approached him.

"Nothing," he said, "He must've wiped the handle before tossing it."

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" he replied, glancing at him with furrowed brow. Tony responded with a blank stare of annoyance. Tim looked back at what he was doing. "If you watch the tape closely, you can see the guy setting his hand down briefly beside Abby's head..."

Ziva looked at the paused, zoomed video on the laptop screen. "He was not wearing gloves," she concluded. "If he was going to rob the place, you would think he would have thought to wear something."

"He never set foot inside the market," Tony said. "Didn't even park in the lot."

"Perhaps he did not have a vehicle at all. Maybe it was his intention to steal the car," Ziva said.

"What kind of sick fuck slits someone's throat because his plans are foiled?" they all paused in response to the mention of what had happened.

"I have a partial," McGee said as he revealed the dusted print. They turned to him.

"Lift it and bring it up to the lab," Tony said.

"I brought Abby's clothes from the hospital," Ziva added. "Are you sure you can do this?" she asked them, not doubting their abilities, but worried about how emotionally difficult it would be.

"We don't really have a choice," Tony replied.

"Vance can call in another forensic-"

"I don't trust anyone else with this," he interrupted her. "And Gibbs expects us to figure this out. I don't plan on letting either of them down..."

* * *

Doctor Donald Mallard's fatigue was held at bay by the anxiety that ran through his well-educated mind. Leaving the O.R waiting room, once to purchase a bottled water, and once more to use the bathroom, he'd wished on both occasions that he would return to a surgeon waiting to give him some kind of news. But both times, he came back to an otherwise empty set of chairs and a void hallway.

Magazines and newspapers lined up on the end tables, dismissed after he'd tried to read them to pass the time, and found himself pages in, without recalling a single word he'd presumably read. So he sat there waiting, and his thoughts drifted to the team who at this point would be in their second hour of investigating this disaster.

Each of them loved Abigail, and each of them was suffering at some level. Ducky just hoped it wouldn't hinder their investigation. More than anything though, he wished he had some good news to tell them.

"Duck," he was pulled from his distracting thoughts by the sound of Gibbs' voice beside him. He looked up as his friend sat down in the chair next to him. "She still in there?"

"Yes," he replied. "No word yet, I'm afraid. How are they taking it, Jethro?"

"Not well," he said in a low voice, "But they're not letting it stop them from doing their job."

"Any idea as to who did this?"

"Not yet," he looked down at the floor with a furrowed brow. "McGee pulled a partial from the outside of the car, but it wasn't enough to find a match. None of the witnesses saw the guy's face...except Abby..."

"He cut her from the front?" Ducky asked, slightly more disturbed. "Why on earth did this happen?"

"Ziva thinks he might've been out to steal the car."

"And in his disappointment, he decided to try to kill her? This wasn't professional in any manner, Jethro. You're dealing with a madman. I wouldn't doubt psychosis in a natural or drug-related form."

"Ziva is out there now," Gibbs told him. "Scouting the area for anyone wearing the clothes the witnesses saw him in. There's no way he wouldn't have her blood on him..." his voice tapered off when they both saw a surgeon emerging from the O.R. They stood as he came toward them.

"You're here with Ms. Sciuto?" he asked them, and they nodded. "She lost a lot of blood," he began, "We did a transfusion and we were able to reconnect the severed carotid artery. However, we had to clamp the artery for over forty-five minutes before we could completely reconnect."

"What does that mean?" Gibbs asked.

"The carotid artery," Ducky turned to his friend, "Carries blood to the brain."

"The longer it needs to be clamped off, the greater the possibility for damage to the brain." Gibbs felt a pang in his chest. "We also had to perform a tracheotomy, as she wasn't able to breathe on her own. She's on mechanical ventilation until we see some improvement. We did what we could to repair the laceration in her larynx. Once she's had some time to recover, if we should find it necessary, she will require a second surgery. We'll have to wait for her to regain consciousness before we can come to any conclusions," the doctor paused for a moment. "But at this time, Ms. Sciuto is comatose. Unfortunately, with the amount of time she was clamped, we can't promise that she'll come out of it...I'm sorry."

They stood there in shock for a few moments before Ducky spoke, "Can we see her?"

"She's being placed in ICU now. You can go in." As the surgeon walked away, the two men made their way toward ICU in silence. When they reached Abby's room, Gibbs turned to him.

"Can you give me a minute, Duck?" he asked in barely a whisper.

"Of course," he replied, placing a hand on his arm in attempt to somehow transfer some level of strength to the man before him. Gibbs turned the handle, walking into the dim room, and closed the door behind him before he looked up and made his way toward the bed.

As his eyes met her, his heart twisted in his chest. Her face was ashen; her eyelids dark...a look she usually went for with make-up, but this wasn't her doing. Her skin was sheen with fever. There were white bandages over her throat, and a tube that lead to a ventilator.

He sank down in chair, very close to the bed as he looked at her still form. As the doctor's words replayed in his head, he lowered the bed rail and took her fragile hand in both of his...

_"We can't promise she'll ever come out of it..."_

And like a dam had finally reached its limit, he broke down. Sobs wracked his body as his head went down on their hands. The uncertainty was overwhelming. The thought of losing her was too much...too real.

But he didn't want to give up hope. She would be pissed if she ever found out he'd lost hope. He lifted his head and kissed her hand; his eyes darted nervously over her features. Then he stood, bending down to kiss her cheek. "You get some sleep, Abs," he whispered in her ear. "I'll be back in the morning. And you better be up by then...I mean it," he kissed her cheek again, slowly letting go of her hand and raising the bed rail back in place.

He looked over her one more time before heading toward the door, wiping the evidence of tears from his face before opening the door. He fished into his pocket and handed Ducky's car keys back to him. "I'm gonna catch a cab back to NCIS," he told him. "How much longer will you be staying?" he asked without meeting his eyes.

"I may spend the night," Ducky replied. He looked at him then. "I'm not leaving her alone. Go do what you do best, Jethro. I'll see you in the morning..."

* * *

**I haven't heard much from you yet! Please let me know if you like this so far...I'm gonna get some sleep and do more in the morning. Hope you enjoy!**


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey," Ziva said as she approached the alleyway where several homeless men were scattered about in groups around can-fires. They all looked over at her, unsure why this Israeli beauty had graced them with her presence.

"What can I do for you?" one of the men asked as he walked toward her. He was unshaven and his clothes were tattered. He reeked of alcohol. Ziva wrinkled her nose, but quickly straightened as she needed to ask them a question.

"I am looking for a man," she said.

"Alright," the man grinned, "I'm a man."

"No, you misunderstand," she shook her head and took a step back. "There is a man who hurt my friend. I want to know if any of you have seen this man. He would be tall; possibly six feet," she said, recalling what Greeg had told them. Abby was five foot ten, but she was wearing her combat boots with the two inch heels. "He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, and may have blonde hair. He would have blood on the front of him," she looked around at the men who all listened intently.

"This man you are looking for," the man in front of her said, "Is he a kinda younger kid?"

"I am not sure," she replied, looking more closely at him.

"Well, I saw a guy like that. But he's not here. I saw him earlier today in a different spot."

"Where?"

"See...I can't really tell ya because it's not exactly legal shit that goes down over there, ya know?" the man shrugged. Ziva cocked her head and pulled out her weapon. The man took a cautious step back, holding his hands up.

"I could care less about the locations of petty drug dealings," she said. "But I _do_ care about finding the man who attacked my friend. And you _will_ tell me where it is that you saw him, or I will have very little patience but to shoot you, right here."

"Okay, okay!" he said. "You didn't hear this from me..."

* * *

McGee and Tony sat on opposite sides of the table in Abby's lab. Her bloody clothes laid out in front of them, they carefully scoured the material with magnifying glasses. The room was silent, aside from the whirring of machines surrounding them.

Tony suddenly pushed himself up from the table and went over to the stereo, turning the volume level down before hitting 'play'. The room filled with a quieter version of Abby's heavy metal music. Satisfied, Tony went back to his seat in front of the table and continued searching the fabric.

From the corner of his eye, he could tell Tim had paused, and he looked up at his unfocused eyes.

"Why would someone do this?" he asked out loud, but to no one in particular.

"Need a break?" Tony asked, and Tim's eyes shot to him with a furrowed brow.

"No," he replied flatly and went back to work. Tony swallowed, glancing over the bloodied clothing again, before returning to his search.

"Whoa," Tony said and Tim looked up.

"What?"

"Found something," he said and reached for a pair of tweezers to pick up a small strand of hair. "Guess he's a blonde after all," he held it up for McGee to see.

* * *

"Got anything for me?" Gibbs said as he entered the lab. McGee was hovered over the computer and Tony was still scouring the clothing at the table. He only briefly glanced up at Gibbs.

"Tony found a hair," McGee said, and Gibbs walked over to him. "Unfortunately, the guy used actual bleach to change the pigment. I can't get any DNA from it."

"So we've got nothing?" Gibbs asked, angrily.

"Well, we confirmed he's blonde..." McGee said.

"That could change," Gibbs added.

"We're not Abby, Boss," Tony said; Gibbs and McGee looked over at him. "But we're doing everything we can." Gibbs wanted to scream, but he held his tongue. He saw the fear in Tony's eyes. And he knew they were right. Abby wasn't replaceable.

He looked down at his hands, and realized he had brought a Caf-Pow into the lab by force of habit. He was silent for a moment, then walked over to Tony, setting the beverage down on the table in front of him.

"If you're gonna try and think like Abby, you gotta drink like her," he said flatly. Tony looked up at him, but realized his focus was on the bloody clothing on the table. His boss's eyes were red and tired. Tony knew how much Gibbs cared about Abby, and that this was causing him immense pain.

He picked up the drink and took a long sip from the straw, wincing at the taste before swallowing it. After a few moments of rejection, Tony's face suddenly straightened. His eyes began to dart around the room. Gibbs furrowed a brow at the agent.

"Probie," he said, suddenly, "Can you get into Abby's email?" Tim furrowed a brow.

"Yeah, probably. Why?" he asked as he turned around and began typing. Tony stood and walked over to his side.

"What if this guy knew her?" he explained. "What if it wasn't just a random hit?"

"You mean, like a stalker?" Tim asked, his eyes widening.

"I'll go through her phone records," Tony said, sitting in front of the other computer. Gibbs watched his agents, then picked up the Caf-Pow and brought it over to the desk, placing it down in front of Tony.

"I got a name," they turned around when they heard Ziva's voice.

"Ziva, what the hell happened to you?" Gibbs' voice softened as he went to her. Her nose was bloody, and there was a gash on the left side of her head, bleeding down the side of her face.

"I am fine," she said. "The man who did this," she pointed to her wounds, "Is not. He is on the way to Bethesda in an ambulance." Gibbs handed her a paper towel. "Thank you," she said as she pressed it to her head. "They did not know his real name, but he goes by 'Flea'."

"You're sure it's the guy we're looking for?" Gibbs asked, squinting.

"No...but it is something. It is a possibility. He purchased heroin from the man I spoke to. He is a regular. Chances are, he spotted Abby's car and thought he could sell it in order to secure his ability to continue purchasing the heroin."

"Maybe," he said, looking her over once more. "Good work, Ziver. Go home and take care of yourself. Get some sleep."

"I am not leaving, Gibbs."

"You're hurt, Zee," Tony said, concerned.

"I said I am fine. I will go clean up in the restroom, and I will be back to help," she turned and left the room. Gibbs watched the empty space in front of him before turning back to his other two agents.

"She's worried about Abby," Tony said.

"We all are," Gibbs replied. "Run this 'Flea' character. See what you can find out. And keep looking through her email and phone records."

* * *

Ziva splashed cool water over her face, wiping gently at her nose and the side of her face to remove the blood. She was aggravated. She hadn't even felt the pain or the dripping blood before they'd pointed it out. She'd been too angry.

As she toweled off her face, she glanced briefly into the mirror at her reflection. She looked as tired as she felt, but she knew sleep wouldn't come to her if she'd tried. She was worried about Abby...the uncertainty of her survival. She wanted to hunt down the man that did this to her, and kill him. But they were no closer to finding him.

Ziva pushed away from the sink and went to the door. When she exited the restroom, she saw Gibbs leaning with his back against the wall.

"Are you following me?" she asked.

"Wanted to make sure you were okay," he gave her a small smile.

"They were only flesh wounds," she said, glancing at his chest.

"Not what I meant," he said and she met his eyes again. For a long moment, she was silent as her eyes darted back and forth between his. Her gaze then fell back to his chest.

"I have known many people who have died under similar circumstances," she told him. "All of them were traitors and criminals. Abby does not deserve that fate."

"She's alive, Ziva," he told her. She met his eyes again.

"You have seen her?" she asked, and he looked down briefly before answering.

"She's in a coma, on a ventilator," he said in barely a whisper, "But she's alive." His cell chirped in his pocket and he fetched it out. "Yeah," he answered.

_"Boss, Flea is in the system as an alibi for a James Haas. Only known address is a homeless shelter five blocks from the market..."_

* * *

"Where were you at 9:45 last night," Gibbs asked James Haas in the interrogation room.

"Out with friends," the man replied flatly.

"Where?"

"Don't I get a lawyer or something?" he folded his arms and slouched back in his chair. Gibbs glared at him.

"Depends on where you were."

"I was downtown," he told him.

"Stealing cars?" he asked. Haas looked down at the table top without responding. "Tell me one thing," Gibbs continued, "At what point did your career of grand theft auto, develop into murder?"

"Hey, I never killed nobody!" Haas' eyes widened.

"But you tried."

"No! I wouldn't hurt anyone! Look, I only take cars and sell them to this guy...he gives me good money."

"And I'm sure a 1931 Ford Coupe hot rod would bring you a pretty penny."

"A what? Listen, man, I never came across anything like that. In fact, I didn't score at all last night. Like I said, I was out with friends."

"I don't suppose you'd be able to give me the names of your friends?"

"Man, I'm not ratting them out--"

"I'm not interested in what you and your friends are involved in," Gibbs yelled as he stood from his chair, hovering over the table toward the man before him. "I just want you to give me a reason why I shouldn't kill you where you sit!"

"Dude," James backed out of his chair away from Gibbs, "I don't know what the hell is going on, but I'm not the guy you're looking for. I didn't kill anyone! I swear!"

"Boss," Gibbs eyes shot to the door at McGee's interruption. "Sorry...gotta tell you something. It's kindof important." Gibbs looked back at Haas before pushing himself from the table and out the door.

"What the hell is so godamn important, McGee?"

"That's not the guy," he told him. "His hair isn't bleached. It's natural. We pulled some from the clothes Ziva took from his mat at the shelter. No blood on the clothes either."

"What _do_ you have?" Gibbs asked, frustrated.

"Uh...well, Tony didn't find anything suspicious in the phone records, but I came across some deleted emails from a screen name I'm still trying to run it through the system. I tried to trace the IP address, but I couldn't find anything specific. But it does tell us something; the guy we're looking for isn't necessarily homeless."

"'Cause he has access to a computer..."

"Yeah, he might be accessing from a library or cafe."

"Or a friend's house. Maybe a family member...keep looking for his name," he squinted at his agent, looking at his tired eyes and the dark circles around them. "You need a break?"

"Absolutely not, Boss," he straightened.

"You've been here over twenty-four hours, McGee."

"We all have," he retorted. "I'm not gonna go home and sleep while this guy is still out there..."

"So go downstairs. Take a nap in Abby's office."

"What about the name search?" he protested.

"Tony can take care of it."

"I'm pretty sure he's more exhausted than I am."

"Tim, don't argue with me," he squinted. "I need you to be focused. And you can't do that if you're passing out at the computer." McGee tried to protest, but his boss had a point. "Take an hour, then tell Tony to do the same."

* * *

Gibbs carried two cups of coffee into the bullpen, and was surprised to see Ziva fast asleep at McGee's desk. Silently, he made his way around the desk and set one of the cups down. He squinted at the screen in front of her. She had been doing an extensive search on James Haas, trying to find out if he'd had any known accomplices.

*~.~*

_She was walking. It was dark and cold. But in the distance, she could see her target. Lit by dim overhead street lights, was a car. The man she was ordered to kill, hunched over looking through his trunk, she easily snuck up behind him. Grabbing him and dragging him to the side of the car, she threw his body around to face her, verifying that he was, indeed, the correct target._

_ His face showed no fear, accepting his fate with dignity. She drew her blade to his throat and carved his neck from left to right. She looked away from his face and down at his throat as blood began to seep from the laceration._

_ When she looked back at his face, it was no longer the man she'd intended to kill..._

_ "Abby?" she said in barely a whisper. She looked right at her before falling lifeless to the ground._

*~.~*

"Ziva!" she heard Gibbs yell, and she jolted awake in her chair. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she fought to catch her breath as she looked up at her boss. "You okay?" he asked in a quieter voice. She nodded, though still a bit disoriented and disturbed by her dream. "Nightmare?"

"How long was I asleep?" she diverted as she looked back at the computer screen.

"Not sure. Maybe an hour."

"I am sorry," she sighed and began typing as she looked over the information that had pulled up on the screen.

"Don't worry about it," he said as he went back to his desk. "I already started going over the replies you requested from the police department." She looked up at him.

"Anything helpful?"

"Still looking," he said and squinted in her direction. "Coffee's probably cold by now," he motioned to the untouched cup at her desk. "Why don't you go heat it up and grab something to eat before we go over this."

"I am not hungry," she said. But she picked up the cup as she stood. "Do you need more?" she motioned to his cup. He shook his head. Her eyes darted around between them. "Any more news on Abby?" she asked. He swallowed.

"I'm gonna head over there in a bit and let Ducky go home."

"Let me," she requested. He studied her for a moment. Though he longed to go there himself, he could tell that she needed to...

* * *

Ziva quietly entered the ICU room to find Ducky sleeping in a chair next to the hospital bed. She silently made her way to the bed, her eyes focusing on the monitor above that beeped in a steady rhythm.

Then she looked down at Abby's face. It was rare that she'd ever seen her without her makeup. She looked peaceful. Somehow, Ziva expected something different; something...frightening. When she looked at her neck, though it was covered up, she knew what it looked like underneath. Her stomach churned. The ventilator was, in fact, frightening to her. She hadn't expected it, though she should have.

Ziva felt tears on her face, though she hadn't known they were coming. She didn't bother to wipe them away, until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Ziva," Ducky had gotten up and moved to her side without her knowing it. She turned to him, unashamed of her tears, which was unusual for her.

"How bad is she, Ducky," she cringed at the cracking in her voice. Ducky's concern showed clearly on his face.

"I'm afraid we don't know yet," he replied sadly. "Any luck with the investigation?" She shook her head and looked back over at Abby.

"Gibbs said that I could come here so you could go home," she said as flatly as she could. "He will be here in a couple of hours."

"You'll call me if anything should happen...?" he asked.

"Of course, Ducky," she glanced to him briefly again. As he made his way to the door, she watched him. Part of her wished he would stay. But she said nothing when he glanced back to look at Abby before closing the door behind him.

Ziva remembered her dream as she looked back down at the woman who had become her friend. She knew the absurdity of the nightmare...she knew that this wasn't her fault. But she couldn't shake the feeling that caused her to tremble. She slowly sank into the chair beside the bed and looked back up at the monitor. Her eyes strained and unfocused; stinging from the lack of sleep...and maybe a little more from the short-lived nap.

She allowed her eyes to close as she focused on the chirp of the machine, telling her that Abby was okay. And she breathed in time with the ventilator. Soon, they lulled her to sleep once more...

* * *

McGee popped a couple excedrin into his mouth and washed it down with a big gulp of Caf-Pow, returning immediately to the screen in front of him. He was in the middle of tracking down a picture of the last associated male in Haas' circle of 'friends'. His focus kept drifting to Tony's tossing and turning in the futon in Abby's office. He'd been in there for ten minutes now, since Tim told it was non-negotiable to take a nap for at least an hour.

McGee's attention was pulled back to the screen as an ID popped up. He rubbed at his eyes in attempt to remove the blur. "That's gotta be him," he said to himself as he focused on the picture.

"Who?" he heard Gibbs walk up behind him, startling him a bit.

"Geez, Boss," he sighed. "I found a possible suspect. He's been associated with James Haas in two separate incidents. Both got off clean somehow. But look at the picture."

Gibbs squinted at the blonde male in the photo. "Eyebrows don't match," he said when he saw the dark brown hair on his face.

"Which would mean he'd have bleached his hair."

"Address?" Gibbs asked. Tim started to type on the keyboard.

"ID says Gabe Sampson lives in town on thirty-second," he said, "But it's two years old. Looks like the current occupant is a Margaret Sampson, age sixty-one. Possibly his mother?"

"Coulda used a computer from there," Gibbs said, and his focus went to Abby's office door as it opened. Tony stood there, disheveled from tossing in the futon.

"Can nap time be over now?" he asked. "I can't sleep..." Gibbs took a moment to smirk at the agent.

"You're with me, DiNozzo," he said as he turned to walk out, "McGee, Haas is still in interrogation. Ask him what he knows about Sampson..."

* * *

"You gotta let me outta here, man," Haas said, obviously in a state of discomfort. "I've been in here over an hour. I gotta go."

"There are more pressing matters then your withdrawal," McGee squinted at him. "But if you can tell me everything you know about this man," he slid a picture over to his side of the table, "I'll see what I can do about letting you leave." The man hesitantly looked down at the picture. Then he laughed.

"T.J?" he asked. McGee furrowed his brow in thought and opened up the file of printed out emails he'd downloaded from Abby's trash bin. "That idiot nearly got us put away twice. I haven't seen him in months. What the hell did he do now?"

"We think he might have attacked a member of our team," Tim said as he shuffled through the papers.

"That dude is seriously messed up, man. He's done so much shit, I'm surprised the freak is still alive."

"You're a heroin addict," Tim glanced up at him, "Who are you to call someone else messed up?"

"Hey, heroin took control of my life a long time ago. I can't stop, no matter how much I try. I keep taking it because it's the only thing keeping me from getting sick."

"If you checked yourself into a clinic, you could detox and not have to take it ever again."

"Easy for you to say," he laughed. "Do you have any idea how much it hurts...I'm terrified, man."

"What's terrifying is a very close friend having her throat cut over a godamn car!" McGee yelled. Haas shook as he straightened at the agent's tone. "You people think of nothing and no one but yourselves. You hurt people so you can get the money you need to support a drug habit you're too scared to suffer a few days of pain to get over." Haas' eyes darted around the table top considering his words.

McGee looked back down at the papers. Finding what he was looking for, his eyes widened as he pulled out the sheet. "Do you have any idea where this guy lives?" he asked.

"Uh...well I know his mom lives in town somewhere. But he was on the streets, same as me. Used to come to the shelter, but like I said, I haven't seen him in months." Tim stood and headed for the door with the file. "Hey, wait...you said you'd let me outta here if I talked..."

"I said I'd see what I can do," he said as he left, closing the door behind him. He picked up his phone and dialed Gibbs' number...

* * *

"Yeah, Gibbs," he said as he answered his cell as he and Tony drove.

_"Boss, Haas ID'd Sampson as T.J. I remembered an email I found in Abby's deleted bin. It was signed by a T.J."_

"What'd it say?" Gibbs asked as he felt his heart begin to race.

_"It said, 'I want to see you again'. Short, but it ties him to Abby. I'm not sure this was a simple car theft gone bad." _Gibbs shut his phone and stepped harder on the gas pedal.

"What's goin' on, Boss?" Tony said as he shifted in his seat to look at him.

"This just got a whole lot more personal..."

* * *

**Ending the chapter here, cuz I've gotta work early tomorrow. Hope this'll hold you over till tomorrow evening! 3**


	5. Chapter 5

"Ms. Sampson?" Gibbs and DiNozzo held up their badges when the door opened.

"Yes, that's me," she said looking at the badges. "Oh no," she began to panic and put her hands on her cheeks. "Something happened...is my Gabey okay?"

"We haven't seen your son, ma'am," Gibbs said. "That's actually why we're here."

"Please," she said, "Come in. And call me Maggie." They walked into the house and waited for her to close the door. "He's done something, hasn't he? He's been mixed up with the wrong people... Please, sit," she motioned to the couch, "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"No, thank you," Gibbs said as he lowered down to the edge of the seat. "When was the last time you saw your son?"

"He came in very late last night while I was sleeping," she said as she sat in the recliner across from the couch. "I only know because his bed was a mess when I got up, and there was a bowl in the sink." Gibbs and Tony shared a glance.

"Where's his room, Maggie?" Tony asked as he stood.

"Oh...uh, upstairs. It's the second door on the right."

"Do you mind if I take a look?" he asked.

"I don't see why not..." she nervously looked down at the coffee table. "Has he stolen something?" Tony glanced at Gibbs once more before heading up the stairs.

"We think he might have been involved in a crime committed last night," Gibbs told her. She closed her eyes for a moment.

"I'm sorry...I didn't catch your name," she said as she opened her eyes.

"Agent Gibbs," he told her.

"Agent Gibbs, I know my son is addicted to drugs. He's not been the same this past year. He's gotten into trouble ever since he lost his job. He used to be a mechanic," she gave a small smile. "But they fired him when he showed up to work, high," a look of disappointment washed her face. "Regardless of how much I have tried to get help for him, he still seems to end up back in the same place."

"Things ever go missing?" Gibbs asked, "Valuables around the house?"

"I know he's sold some things in order to pay for drugs," she said. "But those things don't matter to me as much as my son."

"Does he own any weapons? A knife?"

"Oh god...did he hurt someone?" she said with a horrified face. Gibbs squinted as he waited for an answer. She looked down at the table. "His father had a Ka-bar knife I got him for Christmas many years ago. It went missing...I thought he might have sold it..."

"A Ka-bar was found at the scene," Gibbs said. "Do you know when he'll be coming home, Maggie?"

"He- he comes here to sleep. I made him promise me that he would. I don't like him being out in the streets."

"I need you to do something for me, Maggie," he said leaning closer toward her. "You wanna help your son?" She nodded. "When he comes home tonight, don't tell him what we've told you. You call me right away. If you tell him we're looking for him, he might panic...try to do something stupid that could end up getting him killed."

"You still haven't told me what he did, Agent Gibbs," she said through her teeth.

"He slit a woman's throat," he said flatly, and he hand went to her mouth as tears came to her eyes. "If she dies, he'll be tried for murder. If he tries to run...my agents won't hesitate to take him down."

"Gabe wouldn't have tried to kill someone," tears flowed down her face.

"We think he was gonna try and steal her car. But we have reason to believe he knew the victim. And when he realized who she was, he panicked..."

"What caused you to believe he knew her?"

"Do you have a computer?" he asked.

"I have a laptop. I used it for work, but I always bring it home."

"We found an email he sent maybe five months ago. Said he wanted to see her again. Do you know anything about this?" Maggie's eyes darted around the air between them.

"What's her name?" she asked in barely a whisper.

"Abby," he said, and furrowed his brow as memories of the last time he'd seen her, came rushing back into his mind.

"Abby...I remember her," she said looking up at Gibbs. "She wore her hair in pigtails. Such a sweet girl. Completely different then I assumed she'd be when she came to drop him off one night. At first, I thought it was just another friend into the same drugs as he was."

"She's not like that at all," Gibbs said.

"I know. That's why she left him. It broke his heart, and it broke mine a little too. I thought maybe she would pull him out of what he's been into...but..." she looked back down at the table.

"But what?" he asked.

"One night I came downstairs when I heard them arguing," her tears began anew, "He threw her up against the wall...and she looked up at me. Gabe turned around and saw me standing there. And she ran out without saying a word...that's the night I told him he had to go to rehab, or I would turn him in."

"You should've turned him in," Gibbs said, trying to disguise the anger he now felt stronger.

"I'm sorry," she cried. "I'm so sorry...I wish I could do something to take it back..."

"You can do something now," he said. "Don't tell him we know."

"Boss," Gibbs looked up at Tony as he walked into the room. In his hand he held a black hooded sweatshirt and a bloody tee shirt...

* * *

"Ziva, go home," Gibbs said quietly as he entered the ICU room. She stood as he approached. "I need you and DiNozzo to do a stake-out this evening. Go get some sleep."

"Where?" she asked.

"He'll fill you in. Think we found our guy." She stayed where she stood as he walked up beside her.

"They took her off of the ventilator," she told him as she looked at Abby. "But she has not waken." Gibbs looked down at the woman in the bed. "It is good she is breathing on her own, though, yes?" she looked up at him as he looked at her. He wasn't sure how to respond, but he decided to nod. Then he looked back down at Abby.

"I need you to be alert tonight, Ziver," he said. "You're gonna have to bring him in, and I'm not sure how he's gonna react when he figures it out."

"You will not be there?" she cocked her head and furrowed her brow as she looked up at him. He looked at her for a moment before nervously cocking his head from side to side.

"Don't trust myself not to take him down." She squinted as she considered his words.

"And you trust that Tony and I will not kill him ourselves?" she asked. He squinted at her as he turned to sit in the chair.

"I expect you to bring him in," he said. "Technically hasn't killed anyone...yet." She cringed at that last word.

"Have you slept?" she asked as she turned to face him. His eyes focused somewhere past her before slowly making their way to hers. He didn't reply to the question. "You expect us to sleep, yet do not do so yourself. You expect us to hold back and bring in the man who did this to Abby, when you know we want to do exactly what you would," he watched her as she talked. "I know that you are afraid," she said softer and he looked down at his lap. "We are all afraid, Gibbs," he squinted as he looked back at her face. It was one thing for Ziva David to be scared. It was another for her to admit it.

When he'd looked at her, she realized what she'd said and suddenly became self-conscious. She looked down at her feet, ashamed of showing her weakness to him. Her eyes darted from side to side on the tiled floor beneath her feet, searching for something to say to recover her admission. But when she heard him shift, she looked at his feet. He had stood and closed the distance between them.

She felt his finger on her chin as he attempted to get her to look at him. She complied and saw the compassion in his eyes. It made her chin quiver with her stinging eyes. "Being afraid, isn't a sign of weakness, Ziver," her told her, and his other hand went to tuck a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. "Either is caring for your friends."

"She is my friend," she said to him. "I allowed myself to become close to her...let her into my heart. That was a mistake," her voice cracked, "Because now I might lose her." He shook his head, moved by her words.

"You can't close yourself off from everyone because you might end up losing them," he said. "No one has walked away from Abby without somehow being changed by her," his own voice cracked. "And we're all better people for knowing her, and letting her into our lives. She cares about you..." he watched her eyes become glassy, and he leaned to kiss her forehead. "I care about you," he pulled her into a hug. "Don't close yourself off from the people who care about you, Ziver. We need you. She needs you..."

* * *

Tony laid in his bed on his back. His hands were propped under his head as he stared up at the ceiling. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't make himself sleep. He couldn't get the surveillance tape out of his mind.

He turned onto his side, forcing his eyes closed. He knew he had a job to do that evening, and he couldn't trust himself to do it right if he went in as tired as he was right now. But behind his closed lids, the video played again... He growled and pushed himself up to sit, pulling frustratedly at his hair.

He shot up from the bed, untwisting his pajama pants as he made his way to the bathroom cabinet. He searched through the mess, hoping to find some kind of over-the-counter sleep medication, and heard his cell chirp from the other room, indicating he'd received a text.

Grabbing the bottle of sleep aids, Tony made his way back to the bedroom, picking up his discarded pants to fetch the phone from the pocket. He opened the text. It was from Ziva.

_Sleeping yet?_ He smirked as he typed in his reply.

_Can't. U? _

He heard a knock at his door and cocked his head, realizing it must be her. He made his way over to the door and opened it. "Didn't Gibbs tell you to get some sleep?" he smirked at her. She moved past him through the door and into the apartment, and he shut the door, then turned to her.

Before he could speak again, she closed the distance between them and pulled his head to her, crushing her mouth to his. At first, he was stunned. But as her mouth opened against his, his eyes drifted closed and the pill bottle dropped to the floor from his hands as they settled on her waist. Her mouth was fierce and passionate against his, and he matched her with an intensity he'd held in for so many years...only for her.

But as he felt his back hit against the wall, he pulled his face away and looked at her. "What are you doing, Zee?" he asked, breathlessly.

"I do not wish to close myself off from you any longer," her eyes darted back and forth between his. "All these years, I felt that by allowing myself to feel the way I do, it would end in sadness and heartache, like everything else..." His eyes bore into hers at her words. He felt detached from reality... "I love you, Tony," she said in barely a whisper, "I do not want to hide that from you anymore."

His heart skipped; his hands rose to gently lay upon her neck and jawline as he searched her eyes. "You know how I feel about you..." it wasn't a question, but an affirmation. The corner of her mouth turned up as his thumbs lightly grazed her cheeks. Her hands trailed slowly from his shoulders, down his bare chest, and curled around to the tops of her fingers near his bellybutton. The way his stomach muscles fluttered under her touch made her grin.

"I think we both need some help getting to sleep," she grinned deviously at him as her fingers slipped just underneath the waistband of his pants. His smile was short; his eyes a mixture of glee, lust, and disbelief. She detected his hesitation and pushed her mouth to his again, jolting him back to reality.

"Do you not want me, Tony?" she asked against his mouth. This made him kiss her more fiercely; his hands snaked down to cup her bottom as he pressed her against him. She gasped at the feel of his erection through his pants. It made him smile as his lips moved to her neck. She pulled at his waistband, leading him to the bedroom.

He blindly let her lead him as his mouth grazed her neck and up to her ear. His hot sporadic breaths against her ear sent shivers down her spine, and as his tongue tickled the sensitive skin there, she felt herself unfold.

As the side of their legs touched the end of the bed, Ziva's fingers snaked into the front of his pants, grasping him through his boxers and he thrust involuntarily against her hand, humming as he grew impossibly harder. His mouth went back to hers as he rekindled the passionate kiss, grasping for the hem of her shirt and pulling away from her as he pulled it over her head.

Tony's hands roamed down her shoulder blades and curved around her sides, making her giggle when his fingers grazed the ticklish skin there. His smiled against her mouth as his hands touched the skin on her belly, snaking up to the middle of her bra to unclasp it. She shrugged it off of her and unbuttoned her pants as his head ducked down to take a nipple into his mouth. She moaned at the contact, allowing her cargo pants to slide down with her panties to the floor beneath her.

His hand replaced his mouth at her breast as he nipped the skin at her neck again, "I want you, so bad, Zee..." he whispered against her skin.

"Then take me," she whispered back, and his mouth crushed onto hers again. His hands cradled her back as he lowered her down on the bed. She pushed herself further back on the bed as he crawled after her and settled on top of her.

He looked into her eyes as the daylight from the window shined upon her face. His fingers lightly traced along her hairline as he pondered their position. And her eyes focused on his; somehow the green sparkled a little brighter. She studied him, wishing she could read his thoughts in this moment.

"I love you so much," he told her. Her eyes grew glassy as they darted back and forth between his. Her brow furrowed.

"Why?" she asked. It was his turn to furrow a brow.

"What? What do you mean, _why_?"

"Why do you love me?" He realized that she was serious; that she was having trouble believing him.

"You mean other than the fact that you're beautiful, sexy, smart...amazing?" he smirked.

"I bet you say that to all the girls," she said with a doubting grin. His smile faded.

"What I don't tell _them_, is how I think about you all the time. How everyone I've been with since I've known you, fails to make me feel the way I feel when I think about you."

"Even Jeanne?" she asked, cautiously.

"Especially Jeanne," he replied without hesitation. "The only way I knew how to be with her, was to make myself believe it was you...that I was showing _you_ how I felt. But not in a million years would I have ever thought you'd want me..." he smirked, sheepishly. She smiled at him as she touched his cheek.

"I am sorry that I pushed you away for so long. If it is any consolation, I was always very jealous of her. Regretful of how I always pushed you away, when all I ever really wanted...was for you to want me too."

"Well," he said and bent down to kiss her, "I think we're both to blame for the delay," he kissed her again. "So instead of wasting our energy thinking about the past, I suggest we use it more constructively," his kisses traveled down to her jawline. She smiled and thrust her hips up against him, verifying his continued state of arousal, and gaining an approving groan from deep in his throat...

* * *

**So...yeah usually I've obviously changed the rating and put in a pairing. Depending on how the story goes, there may be another pairing as well...we'll see. But for now, getting up this chapter for the day. Hope u enjoyed:)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Assuming that the issue on the site with notification is magically working again, I write this next chapter, hoping everyone realized that they hadnt been notified chapter 5 was up. SOOOO if you didnt read chapter 5 yet, this wont make sense....go back and read 5!! lol ;)**

* * *

Agent Gibbs was pulled from a sleep he hadn't realized he'd drifted into, by a sudden change in the beeping rhythm on the monitor. Not completely awake yet, his gaze drifted to Abby. When he saw her eyes open, he shot to his feet and grasped her hand. "Abs?" he squinted at her, now fully awake.

She looked over at him. "Can you hear me?" he asked. She opened her mouth to talk, but found she couldn't. "Don't try to speak, Abby," he told her as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He let go of her hands and held his up to sign to her.

_"Do you remember what happened?" _he signed. Her eyes jotted around between them and her hand slowly made its way to her throat, feeling the bandage there, and confirming what she'd hoped had only been a nightmare. Her eyes suddenly filled with tears as she looked back at Gibbs. His hand went to her cheek. "I'm sorry," he told her with compassion in his eyes.

_"I saw him," _she signed, _"I know him. T-J," _she spelled.

"We know, Abs," he told her. _"We talked to his mother," _he signed.

_"I'm sorry," _she cried as she signed. _"I didn't think I would ever see him again. I'm sorry."_

"This isn't your fault," he said with a furrowed brow, "You couldn't have known..."

_"I knew he was dangerous," _she sat up as she signed, _"I should have turned him in." _He protectively helped her as she folded her legs indian-style on the bed so she would be comfortable. As the tears flowed down her cheeks, he couldn't help but to place his hands gently upon each side of her face and wipe them with his thumbs.

"Tony and Ziva are gonna pick him up tonight," he told her, taking his hands away, _"How are you feeling?" _ he signed.

_"What's going to happen to me, Gibbs?" _she signed as she watched his face, _"Am I going to be able to speak again?" _He tried not to show the fears he felt for her as he answered.

_"You're alive, Abby. That's what's important right now."_ The thought went through his head for a moment...yes, he would miss the sound of her voice. It made his heart sink... but she was alive and sitting up in front of him. Talking to him with her hands, he knew that if there was brain damage, it would be minimal.

But he could sense the fear in her face as she looked at the air between them. Her overwhelmed senses heightened by her inability to voice her tears. Silence unwelcome, and new tears taking its place as she reached out for Gibbs.

He pulled her to him gently, stroking her back comfortingly as he kissed her head. "Everything's gonna be okay, Abs," he told her, and kissed her head again, laying his cheek against her head as her body shook with silent sobbing.

* * *

**testing to see if this will post and notify...**


	7. Chapter 7

**FINALLY! Seems the site is finally getting back on the ball with alerts...or so it might seem. So im back to writing again.**

* * *

McGee stood in the men's restroom, shaving over the sink. As he drew the razor down his face, he felt the anger and anguish that had been running sickly through his blood for the past fifteen hours. He felt almost as if he were applying war-paint, instead of removing stubble.

He knew Gibbs hadn't put him on the stake-out team for this evening, but he wasn't going to sit idly by in the office, or sleep at his apartment, or in Abby's lab. No. He was going on that stake-out. Maybe not with Tony and Ziva, but he would be there...he would be waiting.

Tim had spent the past several hours confirming that Sampson was the man who hurt Abby. No one was going to stop him from taking him out. No one...

* * *

Tony was pulled out of a peaceful slumber by the non-stop chirping coming from his cell phone. But as he cracked open his eyes and realized the Israeli beauty that was snuggled up against his chest, he pulled even closer to her and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

He heard her laugh through her nose. "Your phone is ringing, Tony," she said in a groggy voice.

"I know."

"You should get it. It could be important." He made a whiny noise as he turned over and picked up the cell from his pants pocket on the floor next to the bed.

"Yeah," he answered.

_"Where are you and Ziva?" _he heard an aggravated tone in McGee's voice.

"Well, I _was_ sleeping, Probie. What's up?"

_"Do you have any idea what time it is? And Ziva's not even picking up her phone." _Tony glanced at the clock on the side table.

"Shit!" he said as he shot up out of the bed. "Damnit, I can't believe it's already seven. Thanks for wakin' me up. I'll find Ziva and we'll just go straight over to the house. Did you verify Sampson's clothes?" he asked as he went into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

_"Yeah,"_ he said flatly.

"Have you gotten any more sleep, McGee?" he asked, sensing the tension in his partner's voice. "We've basically got this in the bag, ya know?"

_"I'll sleep later,"_ he said and the call ended. Tony furrowed a brow as he set the phone down on the sink.

"Hey, sweetcheeks!" he called. "C'mon and get in the shower with me. We gotta get going soon," but she snuck up behind him as he pulled back the curtain to step in.

"Are you sure we will be able to concentrate on a stake-out?" she asked as she stepped in with him under the hot water. "Alone in a car...all night..."

"Don't tempt me, Zi," he said, turning around to kiss her.

"I will try my best to behave," she said, "Now pass me the soap?" As he smirked and handed the bottle over to her, both agents' mind began to wander back into the reality of what they'd be doing that evening. "I wonder how Abby is doing..." she said as she lathered shampoo into her hair.

"Not sure," he said, doing the same, "McGee sounded a little upset on the phone. But I'm sure Gibbs would've called us if something had happened...right?" She didn't answer, but moved to switch places with him so she could rinse her hair.

"We should call him," she said finally.

* * *

"Hey, Boss," Tony said into his phone as they pulled the car over up the street from the Sampson residence.

_"Any sign of Sampson yet?" _Gibbs voice sounded over the phone.

"Not yet," Tony said, sharing a glance with Ziva as he squinted. Obviously, McGee hadn't ratted them out for being late. "How's Abby?" he asked.

_"She's awake," _Tony was surprised.

"That's...great news, Boss. Does she remember anything about what happened?"

_"Yeah. Confirmed we've got the right guy... Do me a favor and give me a call when he gets there. And whenever McGee gets up, tell him to come down and see Abby."_

"Sure thing," he said and heard the line cut off.

"Abby is doing well?" Ziva asked him.

"Gibbs said she's awake," he grinned. "That's pretty amazing."

"It is very good news," she smiled. "Now all we need to do is bring in Sampson." They both turned their attention to the house up the street as the sky began to grow dark.

* * *

_"I'm worried about Tony and Ziva," _Abby signed to Gibbs.

"Don't be," he told her, "They can handle him," he signed as he talked.

_"I can't help it. I keep getting this weird feeling like something bad is going to happen,"_ her face showed her concern and her exhaustion.

"What do I gotta do to convince you, Abs?" he smirked at her.

_"Go down there. Make sure nothing bad happens."_

"Abs..."

_"I'm serious, Gibbs! I mean it!"_

"It's ten o'clock. When McGee gets here, I'll go, okay?"

_"No...I'm fine. I don't need a babysitter."_

"Either does Tony or Ziva," he argued. She squinted and pursed her lips at him stubbornly. "Okay, fine," he gave in. _"But only if you promise to get some sleep,"_ he signed as he stood. She snuggled down into the covers as a sign of her compliance. He smirked at her again, bending down to kiss her cheek. "G'night, Abs," he said and turned to walk out.

* * *

"Maybe he is already in there," Ziva said, shifting in her seat. "We _did_ get here late."

"I've only seen his mother," Tony said as he continued to peer through the binoculars at the house. "And we weren't really that late, Zi. She said he usually comes home when she's sleeping. She's just going to bed now."

"Should we go closer to the house?" she asked.

"Not yet," he replied. "When the lights go out, we can go for a walk." After a moment, Ziva spoke again.

"What if he does not come home tonight?"

"Then I feel a lot more late night stake-outs in our future," he said without looking away from the house. "Lights just went out. Let's go," they slowly got out of the car, quietly closing the doors as they met on the sidewalk.

"This is nice," she said, taking his hand in hers as they walked. He grinned as the gesture seemed so natural.

"Maybe we can do it again sometime, ya know, when we're not distracted by bringing in a criminal."

"Did you see that?" he said suddenly. She watched as someone opened the front door to enter the house.

"Yes," she answered and they quickly made their way to the house.

"You stay out here in case he tries to bolt," he said as he turned to go around to the back door. He pulled out his cell and dialed Gibbs' number.

_"Gibbs,"_ he heard his boss answer.

"Boss, he's in the house," he said as he came up to the back door. He noticed the door was slightly ajar. "We've got both doors covered."

_"I'm almost there," _he told him, _"Comin' around the corner now."_

"Back door is open. I'm gonna go in." The other line disconnected and he tucked the phone in his pocket as he slowly opened the door.

The light came on in another room, shining through the smoked glass that separated the kitchen from the living room. It happened in an instant. He saw the silhouette of a man holding a gun at another silhouette crouched down across the room. Tony didn't think twice; he fired at the silhouette, and the figure dropped as the glass shattered.

He ran, expecting to find Ms. Sampson crouched in fear in the corner, but only saw the shadow as it went for the front door, swinging it open and running out. "Hey!" Tony yelled, turning into the living room and looking for whom he'd shot. "Oh my god..." he crouched down. "Oh my god, McGee..." Tim laid sprawled on the floor, blood seeping from the side of his head...

* * *

**Seems like a good, evil place to leave this chapter...**


	8. Chapter 8

Gibbs screeched to a stop in front of the Sampson residence as he saw Ziva tackle Gabe to the ground. He quickly exited the car and ran up to them, and Ziva looked up.

"I heard a gun shot," she told him, "Tony is still inside." He tore up to the front door that was still open, and he heard Tony as he yelled into his phone.

"One thirty two 32nd street, we have an agent down!" his voice cracked, "Please hurry!" Gibbs was confused as he followed the voice. What other agent was there? But as he entered, his face fell. McGee was on the floor, his body still as Tony hovered over him.

"What the hell happened, DiNozzo?" he asked as he quickly went over to them.

"Boss," he looked up at him, standing out of shear panic, "I didn't know...didn't know it was him..."

"What was he doin' here?" he felt Tim's neck for a pulse.

"I don't know... He wasn't supposed to be here...oh god, Boss..." Gibbs didn't see Tony when he ran out of the house. He was checking over his fallen agent, seeing his pulse was strong and he was breathing. He examined the wound on his head; looked up at the broken glass frame, then across to the wall opposite of it. The bullet was lodged into the drywall.

"He'd not dead, Tony," he said, looking back when he didn't see the agent standing where he'd been. "DiNozzo?"

"He is outside with Sampson," Ziva said from the porch.

"Ziva, get in here and hold this," he said, and Ziva walked into the room, astonished at what she saw.

"What..." she couldn't find words. She looked at the glare from her boss and quickly made her way to crouch down and replace his hand with hers, over the cloth against McGee's wound.

*~.~*

"What'd he say to you?!" Tony punched Gabe on the ground, getting in his face and expressing the rage that was flowing through his body. Sampson was too stunned to respond with anything but a fearful expression. "Why did he come here?! Answer me!!" he held the man's shirt tightly in his hands to hoist him from the ground.

"I don't- I don't know man! He said he was gonna kill me!" Sampson was obviously on some kinda of drugs. His pupils were dilated and he was sweating. Tony wanted to throw another punch at the man, but Gabe wasn't the one responsible for shooting McGee...

Police cars and an ambulance roared up the street. And he suddenly heard Gibbs' voice behind him. "Tony," Gibbs said in a stern voice. Tony dropped Sampson, letting him fall back to the ground in his handcuffs.

"I thought it was him..." Tony's voice squeaked as his hands went to his hair. Police officers ran toward the agents, picking Sampson up from the ground as Gibbs held his badge out to them. With a quick glance to his agent, he turned to the officer to explain what was happening. Tony backed away, going to the side of the house and sliding down the siding to sit in the dirt below him. _"Oh god I killed him...I killed McGee..."_ his mind raced as tears started to flow down his cheeks. He pulled at his hair, _"DiNozzo's don't cry...Dinozzo's. Don't. Cry."_

Tony's heart was breaking in his chest...pulling apart inside of him. This wasn't supposed to happen. This was supposed to be easy; get the bad guy, go home. Everything was going to be okay...Abby was up..._ "Abby...oh my god Abby's gonna be so upset..." _He buried his head in his hands and against his knees as he cried...

*~.~*

The police scoured the house after Sampson was put in the back of one of the squad cars. McGee was loaded onto a gurney and was being wheeled out of the house. Gibbs and Ziva stood there in the living room trying to make some sense of what all had happened.

"McGee must have been waiting here for him," Ziva said as she looked up at Gibbs. "I did not think of this before, when he called Tony and asked where we were. We did not think to ask _how_ he knew we were not here."

"He was gonna execute Sampson," Gibbs added, then took another glance around the room. "Where the hell is his mother?" he asked, "She would've heard the gun shot and come down here."

"We've got a body upstairs," an officer said as he approached them. "Woman in her late fifties, maybe sixties. Looks like a suicide." Gibbs hung his head.

"Gibbs," Ziva implored and he looked up at her, "Where is Tony?" He squinted and looked around the room.

"He didn't come back in here?" he asked and she shook her head. Gibbs headed out the front door, and she moved to follow, but was stopped by an officer, asking about the guns on the living room floor.

*~.~*

Gibbs squinted at the display of swirling lights emanating from the squad cars and ambulances as he glanced around the yard. He looked down at the wet grass below him and the tracks his shoes made, and noticed a trail of footprints leading up the side of the house. He turned and followed them, discovering his agent sitting up against the house.

Tony's head was rested back against the wall; no emotion on his face, but evidence of tears streaking his cheeks. Gibbs approached with caution. "He's not dead, DiNozzo," he said calmly. Tony turned his head to the sound of his boss. "Bullet grazed his head, but I think it just knocked him out."

"I coulda killed him," his voice cracked. Gibbs flinched. "He should've told me he'd be there..."

"That's why this isn't your fault, Tony."

"I shot him!" he said angrily, "I shoulda called out...identified myself..."

"You thought it was Sampson, you didn't have time."

"That doesn't excuse what I did, Boss. He could die. And sure," his infamous nervous laughter came in a small bout, "It might be excusable in a court of law, but not to _me_..." new tears fell down old paths on his face as he turned away. Gibbs walked closer to him, stopping in front of the agent and crouching down.

"I know," he began, "What you're thinkin', Tony..." Tony nervously swiped away the tears that streaked his cheeks, suddenly self-conscious at the closeness of his boss. "If he'd killed Sampson, he coulda lost his job."

"Better to lose his job, than his life!" he yelled.

"You can't break down on us now," Gibbs said sternly, "We need you," he swallowed. "Hell, Tony...I need you on this..." Tony looked at his boss's tired, red eyes and realized that he wasn't the only one suffering here. Pain had been equally distributed amongst the team...and he seemed to be the only one reacting like an infant.

In that moment, Tony decided to shove his feelings deep inside the recesses of his mind. "Okay," he said simply, and he pushed himself up off of the ground, dusting the dirt from his pants. Gibbs stood as well, looking over the agent in front of him before speaking.

"Sampson's mother is dead," he told him, and Tony furrowed his brow in surprise. "They think she killed herself. I want you and Ziva to verify. I'll call Ducky."

"You uh...going to the hospital?" Tony asked when Gibbs started to walk away. He slowed to a stop. "Just asking, 'cause you haven't been home in two days, Boss." Gibbs turned toward him.

"What's your point?"

"McGee hadn't been home either...I think that might be why he, ya know...ended up here," Tony flinched at the sudden flash of memory of what had happened. Then he noticed Gibbs closing the space between them, getting right up to his face.

"What McGee wanted to do, we all wanted to do, DiNozzo. Difference is, he didn't know Abby woke up." Tony swallowed before Gibbs backed away and turned to walk toward his car. As Tony made his way around the house, he realized something from what his boss had said; Gibbs was blaming himself for Tim's behavior... by not telling him what he'd obviously needed to know...

* * *

Ziva and Tony had processed the scene as Ducky had the body brought to autopsy. She realized that Tony had been practically silent the entire time, only responding with nods or one-word replies. They'd found everything they needed to confirm the suicide, and left the scene to the local PD.

As they headed back to the car, Tony handed Ziva the keys and silently slid into the passenger seat. At first, she remained silent. But his preoccupation began to worry her.

"Are you okay?" she asked. He turned, as if startled by her voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied and turned to look out his window again.

"You do not seem fine," she pushed. "You are upset about what happened...do you want to talk about it?" He made a sound, indiscernible from a laugh or a sob.

"Can't, Zi," and he forced himself to laugh. "We got- we gotta go see McGee...and Abs..."

"That is where I am taking us," she furrowed a brow in his direction, and she saw him struggle in his seat; trying to keep his face hidden from her. He didn't want her to see him this way; unable to handle his emotion...weak...

The rest of the ride went by in the blink of an eye. He felt the engine cut off. He was still. And then he felt her hand gently lay over his; pulling him back to present time. He felt his defenses begin to fall as she grasped tighter onto his hand. But he kept his face turned from her...trying unsuccessfully to hold back the oncoming tears.

Tony felt her hand leave his and heard her open her door. He swallowed...tried to swallow everything down before she got around to his side and opened his door. But before he could object, she pulled him to her, tightening her arms around him; his face cradled in the crook of her elbow.

"What if he dies?" he cried. "What if I killed him, Zi?"

"That is not fair, Tony. He should not have been there. He disobeyed an order." But she knew what he meant...and it _wasn't_ fair. "Let us go inside. Go see him..."

* * *

**that's all for now. Too tired to continue tonight, but wanted to get something up for ya! More will be up tomorrow---i think!**


	9. Chapter 9

Ziva was glad when they nurse at the desk told them right away where McGee's room was. She was even more greatful when the room was void of Gibbs. Tony had already managed to put his walls back up and stuff his emotion back into his sleeve by the time she'd gotten him out of the car.

McGee's room was fairly dim. It was late, and a small amount of moonlight washed into the orange glow of the nightlight that beamed from behind the head of the hospital bed. Tony stood next to the hospital bed with his hands in his pockets. He glanced up at the green glowing of of the monitor above them; the steady rhythm of heart beats and oxygen levels.

McGee looked fairly normal, aside from the white bandage that covered his head. Other then that, he looked like he was just sleeping. Tony stood there for a few minutes, wishing he would wake up and...say something; yell at him, crack a joke at his expense...something.

Tony and Ziva both turned toward the sound of someone clearing their throat by the door. A nurse slowly walked into the room, "It's not exactly visiting hours," she gave a small smile.

"He is our partner," Ziva told her. "Can you tell us what the doctors have said?" The nurse picked up the chart at the end of the bed.

"I just came on shift, but I'll see what I can find out," she flipped through the pages. "Looks like Mr. McGee has a laceration above his left temple, and a small hairline fracture on the skull. He was a bit dehydrated as well. He's being given fluids and we'll be monitoring him closely. Looks like he hasn't yet regained consciousness."

"What does that mean?" Tony asked. "I mean...I know what it means, but, is that a bad sign?"

"He's only been here an hour, Sir. The fact that he came in dehydrated and bleeding with a concussion, this isn't really a surprise. Just give him some time. There's nothing here indicating any bleeding or swelling in the brain. I think he'll be just fine," she gave them another small smile before turning around to leave. "And don't worry," she said, turning briefly to them at the door, "I was just giving you a hard time before. You can stay as long as you need to."

Tony nodded with an appreciative smile. Then he looked back down at McGee. "You can go home if you want, Ziva. I think I'm gonna stay here."

"I am not tired," she said, turning toward him. "I will go see how Abby is doing, and come back here with you." He turned to her and her arms went around his middle as their eyes met. "Try and refrain from drawing on his face until I get back," she smirked at him. He smiled at her, suddenly remembering how lucky he was to have her. His hand went up to her face; fingers tracing her hairline. She leaned in to give him a kiss. "See you soon," she said and turned to walk out the door.

Tony watched her leave, then turned to sit in the chair beside McGee's bed. He sighed as he was relieved that his friend wasn't too horribly hurt. But the lingering thought of what could've just as easily happened, didn't leave his mind...

* * *

"Abs, everything's gonna be okay," Gibbs said as well as signed to the worried woman who was now sitting up in her bed.

_"You should let me go see him, Gibbs," _she signed.

_"He's not awake yet. I'll bring you down there as soon as he does. I promise."_

Their silent conversation was interrupted by a sudden third presence, and Abby waved at Ziva as she came toward them. Gibbs turned to see her, without standing up from his seat on the edge of the bed.

"Thought you'd be going home?" he said.

"We wanted to make sure everyone was okay," she said as she bent down to receive a hug from Abby. "I am so glad to see you awake," she told her. "How are you feeling?"

Abby tugged on Gibbs' sleeve and began to sign for him to translate.

"She says she's fine," Gibbs told Ziva, "And wants to know how Tim looks." Ziva was stunned for a moment, having just come to the realization that Abby wasn't able to speak. Gibbs immediately recognized the brief shock on her face before she was able to conceal it.

"Tim looks good, Abby," she said with a smile. "He is asleep, but he needs to rest anyway. He hasn't been home in two days. He worked very hard to find Sampson."

"You _all_ did," Gibbs said, squinting at her in hopes to stop her from saying too much. Ziva understood right away.

"And you," she said to him. "You should be getting some sleep, Gibbs. You have not been home either."

"I've slept here, on and off," he retorted.

"In this chair?" she motioned to the seat next to the bed. He cocked his head and smirked at her.

"I've slept in less comfortable places, David." She returned the smirk and watched as he turned back to Abby. She was signing to him again. "She wants to know if Tony's here," he told Ziva.

"He is with McGee," she told Abby, then turned to Gibbs. "I believe he is...still feeling a bit upset." He nodded then turned to Abby.

"Get back to sleep, Abs. I'll be back in a little while," he said as he stood from the bed, glancing at Ziva to follow him. They didn't speak until they were in the elevator, and Ziva turned to him.

"Will she be able to speak again?" she searched his eyes. His brow furrowed at the question.

"Not sure," he replied and looked back toward the front of the elevator. She looked down in thought.

"Perhaps you could teach me some sign language then? If...if it turns out that she cannot." He turned to her and smirked, then put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to kiss her forehead.

* * *

When they arrived in McGee's hospital room, Tony was in the chair next to Tim's bed, reading through the medical chart that had been on the foot board. "Don't think you're supposed to be reading that, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, and Tony looked up as he and Ziva walked further into the room.

"Just makin' sure the nurse didn't leave anything out of the explanation," he responded. "You checkin' up on McGee, or me?" he asked him, then glanced to Ziva. Suddenly, Ziva felt a pang of regret for having told Gibbs that he was still upset.

"McGee's gonna be fine," he said, taking the chart from Tony and putting it back in the bin on the foot board. "What'd you find out about Margaret Sampson?"

"Found a note," he said, shifting more comfortably in the chair, "It's made out to Gabe. She gave up on him, basically, and couldn't live with that fact. Ducky's got her back at autopsy to verify she ingested the pills from the empty bottle we found next to the bed."

"You should go home. Get some rest."

"Boss, with all due respect, I've gotten more sleep then you in the past two days. I need to stay here. You go home."

"Yes," Ziva agreed, "I will keep an eye on Abby." If any of them had an ounce of energy left to argue, he probably would have tried. But Gibbs took a breath.

"I'll go," he agreed, "But only 'cause I need a damn shower," he turned toward the door. Tony squinted at him, slightly suspicious of how easily he'd agreed to go. "You call me if anything happens," he said as he walked out.

"Well, that was unexpected," Tony said.

"He is tired, Tony," she said. "I am going to get some coffee before heading back up to Abby's room. Do you want some?"

"Did you get to talk to her?" he asked. "How is she?" She didn't mean to hesitate to answer, but she did, and Tony noticed it right away.

"She seems well," she said with a small smile.

"She pissed at me?"

"I do not think she knows what happened, exactly." He squinted at her response.

"But she knows what happened to McGee?"

"Yes," she sat on the arm of the chair and looked at him.

"I'm not gonna lie to her," he said. "She might get pissed at me, but it's better then feeling like any of this is her fault," he looked back over at McGee. "Did she say anything to you?" When she didn't answer, he turned his head to look at her again. Her face was turned down. "What's wrong, Zi?"

"Abby...cannot talk, Tony..." she said as she looked at him. His brow furrowed as his eyes searched the air between them. It seemed so obvious a possibility, yet he hadn't considered it before now. "But, as you know, Abby knows sign language. And so does Gibbs. So she can still communicate."

"Not really the same, is it..." his voice cracked. "Abby doesn't deserve that...if I'd just...waited, five more seconds..."

"Tony-"

"Tim coulda killed that son of a bitch-"

"Sampson does not deserve that easy a punishment," she said, taking his face in her hands. "He will spend the next several weeks going through horrendous withdrawal symptoms, then end up in prison where he will undoubtedly suffer what he deserves," one of her hands ran from his cheek into his hair. "At least you got a few swings at him," she smirked.

His mouth turned up a little, and his hand went up to her cheek. "And I've got you," he said in barely a whisper. Somehow, when he looked at her, everything seemed to be a lot brighter...

* * *

Gabe Sampson rocked back and forth in the corner of his cell. Sweat dripped from his face as his entire body wracked with the pain of withdrawal. A sudden wash of nausea forced him to crawl quickly to the metal toilet and vomit. He stayed there for a long while until the heaving subsided.

His head rested against the cool seat, and he nearly drifted off to sleep, until he heard the clanging of the cell door behind him. "Thanks," he heard from behind him, and he turned to see the salt and pepper-haired man that had been at his mother's house that night, as the guard closed the door behind him. "I'll only be a minute."

As the older man turned to look at him, Gabe grew fearful and backed into the corner. Pain washed over him again and he cringed. "Who are you?" he asked.

Special Agent Gibbs grinned as he closed in on him, "It's always so much easier when they're already suffering," he said as he pulled Gabe up by the front of his shirt. "You hurt someone I care about. Someone you seem to know; Abigail Sciuto. Tell me why..."

"Look, I didn't mean to-"

"Don't give me that!" Gibbs grabbed the man's throat and pressed him hard against the wall. "You slit her throat without thinking twice!" Gabe choked under his grip and it took every ounce of strength in his body for Gibbs to let go.

"I panicked!" he said as he coughed. "When I realized it was her, I panicked, and I didn't know what else to do!" Gibbs reached into his coat and the man before him cowered in fear down into the corner. Gibbs glared down at him and he pulled out a folded piece of paper.

"I would like nothing more but to snap your neck," he said calmly, "But I think...this life will suit you better..." he looked down at the paper as he unfolded it. "From your mother," he said and let go of the paper so it fell in front of Gabe. Then he turned as he saw the guard return to let him out. He walked out without looking back behind him...

Gabe's hands shook as he picked up the paper. He swallowed as he read the words his mother wrote...

_Gabey,_

_ I'm sorry that I have made it possible for you to continue along the path you've chosen. I've come to the conclusion that if I'm no longer part of the equation, maybe, somehow, you'll have no one else to enable you to continue. When they take you away tonight, I hope that you will see this before you go, and keep it as a reminder of everyone you've hurt along the road you decided to stay on. I know you'll be locked away for some time, but perhaps in knowing I won't be here when you get out, you will choose a better path for your future. I miss you, son. I loved you._

_ ~Mom._

Tears streamed down Sampson's face as he clenched the note in his fists...

As Gibbs walked out of the jailhouse, he heard Gabe's enraged and anguished scream. And he took a deep, cleansing breath of satisfaction...

* * *

Tony drank the last few drops of coffee from the cup Ziva had brought to him half an hour earlier. Tossing the cup into the trashcan, he stretched and yawned, scratching at the stubble on his cheek.

Then he heard a groan from the bed in front of him, and it only took him a moment to realize McGee was waking up. He stood and went to the side of the bed as Tim's eyes cracked open. "Hey, McSleepyhead," Tony said with a little smirk.

"Where the hell am I?" he asked as he looked around the room. Tony got a churning feeling in his gut.

"What's the last thing you remember?" he asked with concern on his face. Tim squinted as he tried to recall. "Do you...remember going to Sampson's house?" Tim's eyes widened as he looked up at Tony.

"Yeah..." then his eyes started to dart around the room, and he went to sit up. "I was gonna—ow!" he grabbed the side of his head when he felt the sharp pain.

"Whoa there, Probie," Tony's hands went to his shoulders to lay him back down. "You've got a...head wound." Tim looked up at Tony again as he laid there.

"Damnit...Tony, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone in there without telling you guys..."

"Yeah, you should have," Tony said with a furrowed brow, "I coulda killed you..." A look of confusion and question appeared on Tim's face. Tony hated that he had to explain this. "I came in the back; saw a silhouette through the glass and thought it was Sampson...I thought it was him aiming the gun and I just...fired..."

"You shot me?" he said in a small voice.

"I didn't know it was you, McGee! I'm sorry..."

"You shot me in the head...?" McGee's hand went back up to the bandage, and Tony slumped down in the chair, rubbing his hands over his face.

"Tim, I'm really sorry..." McGee looked over at his partner who was obviously struggling to compose himself.

"It's not your fault," he said. Tony looked up at him with a furrowed brow.

"What do you mean? Of course it's my fault."

"Stop tryin' to blame yourself. You always do this. I wasn't supposed to be there and you didn't know it was me." Something clicked in his head in that moment, "You got him, right?"

"Yeah. Sampson's locked up," Tony said as he eased back in his chair. "By the way, Abby woke up this evening."

"She did?" Tim's eyes widened again. "Did you see her? Is she okay?"

"I haven't seen her yet, no. But Ziva said she seems well. Gibbs said she remembers everything that happened," he looked down at his lap after saying that. Tim noticed the look of concern on his face.

"What is it? What's that look?" Tony looked back up at him. There was no use in hiding it from him. He would find out soon enough.

"She can't talk," he told him. Tony watched him swallow and look back up at the ceiling.

"Guess it could be a lot worse, right?" he eventually said. "She's alive." But in his heart, he knew he would miss the sound of her voice. He already did...

"You okay?" Tony asked after a while.

"Yeah. Just tired. Think I'm just gonna go to sleep. You should go home and rest too," he said looking back over at him.

"I can stay," he offered.

"No, really. I'm good. Go ahead. I'll see you tomorrow...uh...if you're gonna come by."

"Yeah, definitely. Want me to bring anything?" he asked as he stood.

"There's an overnight bag in my trunk..." he began, but he furrowed his brow as his eyes darted around. "But I...have no idea where my car is..." Tony smiled and started to laugh, but it quickly faded.

"You- you're joking, right?" But McGee made no change from the serious look on his face. Tony patted his arm, "Don't worry. I'll find it. And I'm sure it'll come back to you eventually."

"My...car will come back to me?"

"N- no, you're memory...of where you...nevermind, Probie. Just get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

**lol ok. I wanted to end the chapter on a humorous note, instead of a cliff-hanger, in case it's another 24 hours before posting the next chap. Hope you enjoyed this one! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for such awesome reviews:) Especially gsr4ever, sparkiebunny, ncischick09, jgomez921, STLFAN, Cutezipie, Betherzz (All my regulars that keep me going!) and lareinaSelena, Phlanges1, NerdGurl89, JoyBean (newer fans!) (OMG fans! That just made me grin wildly!) Anyway, you all keep me typing and smiling and happy to do it! Thanks so much, and hope you enjoy! **

* * *

Tony quietly entered Abby's hospital room, surprised to see that Ziva wasn't there, and that Abby was wide awake and staring up at the ceiling. "Hey, Abby," he smiled as he approached the bed. Abby glanced in his direction, then sat straight up in the bed and reached over to hug him. He sunk down to sit on the edge of the bed as he held her. "How are you feeling?" he asked, and felt her gently pull away and give him the 'okay' thumbs up.

He swallowed and glanced over at the side table, noticing a legal pad and pen. "Where'd Ziva go? Do you know?" he looked at her again and she reached out to grab the pad and pen and started jotting something down.

_More coffee and to check on you and Tim._

"Oh. Well, I guess she'll figure out what's happened once she gets in there. He woke up, by the way," he told her. She gave a relieved smile. "I know Gibbs didn't tell you the whole story," he began as he looked down at his lap. "But I think you deserve to know..." she cocked her head at him. "McGee went to Sampson's house to kill him," he looked back at her. "But he wasn't supposed to be there at all. He was supposed to be home, sleeping..." he continued the short story, trying to read her expression as he went.

As he finished, she looked down at the pen in her hand for a long moment. She couldn't decide how to respond, and was frustrated that she wasn't able to ramble like she normally would be right now. The usual way she would sort out the massive amounts of thoughts that floated through her mind was to spit out as many of them as she could in one breath. But getting them out onto paper wasn't going to happen...it was another thing she would have to concentrate on, and the thoughts had taken up all of that capacity.

Eventually, she set the pen down and pulled Tony into another hug. It was strange to feel her body sobbing against him, but hear no voicing of tears. "I'm sorry, Abs..." he said. "Sorry for everything...it's not fair..." he felt her squeeze him tighter before loosening her grasp and backing out of the hug. He furrowed a brow when he saw the tears on her face and he reached for a tissue, "Don't cry," he said in barely a whisper as he began wiping them away. Then he smirked as he recalled the last movie they had watched together. "Ery tings gon be ary," he said. This earned him a huge smile.

She recalled the moment in 'Meet Joe Black' when Death had spoken to the dying woman in the hospital. It meant 'everything's going to be alright'. She started writing on her pad of paper and he watched as she scribbled.

_Can I go see him?_

"He's sleeping right now," he told her. "He's been up for two days, so we should let him sleep," he watched as she scribbled.

_I can't sleep till I know he's okay._

He smirked, understanding completely how that felt. "I don't think I can get you outta here, Abby," he motioned to all the monitors and IV line she was hooked up to. She cocked her jaw at him and squinted. "Okay, I'll ask the nurse if it's possible, alright?"

* * *

"Hey, Ziva," McGee startled her as she entered the room.

"McGee! You are awake!" she grinned and went to his bedside. "Where is Tony?"

"I told him to go home 'cause I was just gonna go back to sleep."

"I probably missed him then," she said. "He probably went up to see Abby after I left to get coffee." His gaze fell back up to the ceiling. "Why are you not asleep, then?" she asked.

"I dunno..."

"He told you about Abby..." she concluded. She watched his eyes dart a bit before settling back on the ceiling.

"Not fair what happened to her..." he said and his gaze drifted somewhere in front of him.

"She is going to be okay," she said, setting her coffee down and laying her warm hand over his. He looked up at her.

"Can you imagine," he said in barely a whisper, "Experiencing what she did, and remembering it?" his brow furrowed. "She's gotta be freaking out inside...and she can't express it," he looked away again. Ziva considered his words. She didn't know how to respond. But she was pulled from her thoughts as she heard the door open.

"Oh, good, you're still up," Tony said as he wheeled Abby into the room. "Someone wanted to see you."

"Abby!" McGee sat up in the bed, wincing and grabbing his head. Ziva went to help him, "No, I'm okay," he said and Abby sprung up from the chair and went to him, giving him a big hug. His arms went around her back; his eyes drifted closed as he felt the warmth of her, her breathing and her heartbeat a reminder that she was okay.

Tony and Ziva stood against the wall next to each other, watching them communicate. Abby scribbled on the pad and Tim would ask questions of his own after answering hers. Tony shared small happy glances with Ziva as their faith in life seemed to climb a few notches.

After a few minutes, McGee was unable to stifle a yawn. Abby straightened and glanced over at Tony.

"Okay, Probie, visiting hours are over," he said as he went to help Abby back to her chair. McGee willingly laid back down in his bed and looked at Abby.

"See you tomorrow, Abs," he smiled. She returned the smile before she was turned in the chair toward the door. As they left, Ziva came to get her coffee from the table.

"You will be able to sleep now, yes?" she smirked at him.

"I think _so_," he grinned.

* * *

Gibbs woke up as sunlight filled his bedroom, and he glanced at the clock. Seven, already, he sprang up from his bed and headed toward the shower. He glanced at his cell to see if he'd missed any calls, before reaching to turn on the water.

As the hot water beat down on his tense shoulders, his eyes drifted closed. His thoughts drifted immediately to Abby, and he recalled the dream he'd had that night. A smile played on his lips as he recalled that she'd spoken to him...he remembered her voice clearly. God did he miss that voice...

He quickly washed his hair and body and turned off the water before stepping out and grabbing a towel. His cell phone began to chirp as he wrapped the blue cloth around himself and dried his hands before picking it up.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

_"Good morning, Jethro," _Ducky sounded on the other line, _"Thought I'd let you know the doctors have scheduled Abigail for surgery."_

"Surgery for what?" he felt a churn in his gut.

_"To remove the trach tube, and do a second procedure on the larynx. I sent Ziva and Anthony home. I'll be sitting with Timothy once they Abby to prep."_

"What time is the surgery?"

_"In an hour. Don't worry yourself, Jethro. She'll be fine."_

"I know, Duck. But I need to be there..."

* * *

Gibbs couldn't recall ever having encountered as much traffic in all his life. Between school buses and an accident on Arlington, it took him thirty minutes to get to the hospital. And another five to find a parking spot in the garage.

But it only took him a few minutes to get up to Abby's room from there, and when he walked in, Abby was being talked to by a surgeon and a nurse. Abby was signing, and he realized the nurse was translating for the surgeon. He stood against the wall as he waited for them to finish. From where he was, he couldn't see their hands, but he listened to the nurse and surgeon.

"Will I be able to speak again?" the nurse interpreted. Gibbs' heart sank at the question.

"We'll only know after you've completely healed," the doctor told her.

"How long will that take?"

"Maybe two weeks...possibly not that long. But we'll know for sure by then." There was some silence. "Some nurses will be in shortly to bring you down for prep in the O.R, okay?" Abby nodded nervously. "I'll see you in a little while," he said and he and the nurse made their way out of the room.

Abby's eyes met Gibbs' as he approached the side of the bed. He could sense the apprehension on her face.

_"I'm scared," _she signed.

_"Don't be. It'll be okay," _he signed as he sat down on the bed.

_"I don't want to be under the knife again, Gibbs." _He squinted, understanding now what she was afraid of.

_"They're not gonna hurt you. They're gonna help you. Don't be afraid,"_ he stopped signing when a tear fell to her cheek, and he wiped it with his thumb. "Abs, you'll be okay. I'm gonna be here the whole time. I won't let anything happen to you." Her eyes searched his as he lead her to lay back down on her pillow.

Some nurses came into the room, ready to move her out, and Gibbs stood from the bed. He felt Abby's hand around his wrist and he looked at her face. It was begging him to stay. He leaned down close to her face and kissed her cheek, "I love you," he whispered in her ear and kissed her againbefore standing up. Her hand loosened its grasp and he pulled his wrist free as the nurses took both sides of the bed and released the wheel-brakes.

As they wheeled her out, he watched Abby sign, _"I love you, too," _before disappearing out the door. His gaze fell to the floor. She hadn't understood exactly what he meant...but he wasn't going to chase after them now. It wasn't the right time. And he had to keep reminding himself that this wasn't goodbye. She was going to be fine. This isn't goodbye...

* * *

"Hey, Ducky," McGee looked up from his breakfast tray as Doctor Mallard entered the room. "What're you doing here?"

"Just came to sit here with you, Timothy. How are you feeling?" he asked as he sat in the chair next to his bed.

"Besides a pounding headache? Pretty good, actually. How's Abby?" he asked as he took a bite of his toast.

"She's doing quite well," Ducky replied. "She's going into surgery soon; they'll be finishing with repairing her larynx."

"She's going into surgery now? This morning?" he seemed nervous. Ducky nodded, though he was concerned by Tim's sudden look of fear.

"Can I go see her before they start?"

"I'm afraid it's a bit late for that," he said, "But don't worry. They're very capable surgeons. She'll be fine." McGee nervously scratched underneath the bandage on his head. Ducky leaned forward in the chair and patted Tim's knee. "Abigail is a very strong woman," he reassured him, "Look at what she's come through. Same old Abby the very next day after such a traumatic event." McGee looked at him as he considered his words. "Whatever it is you think you need to tell her, I'm sure she already knows." After a moment, McGee gave him a small smile.

Ducky leaned back in his chair as he observed the lad. "So, tell me, Timothy," he said. "How is your memory of last night?" McGee blinked a few times to clear his head.

"Well," he began, "I've been thinking about it since I got up this morning. I remember being at the house. I remember earlier in the day, decided that that was what I was going to do. But what happened in between, I can't seem to put my finger on it. I don't remember leaving NCIS or where I parked the car. Don't even remember getting into the house at all. I just remember turning on the light and aiming my gun..."

"May I ask, when you made this decision, did you think about what might have happened, had you been successful?" Tim looked back at the doctor.

"At the time, I had no hope left that Abby would ever wake up," he said as his gaze drifted somewhere else between them. "Killing Sampson was...supposed to avenge her somehow." Ducky looked at McGee with an understanding beyond words.

"As valiant as that may have seemed, killing him would have been giving him the easy way out. I'm sure you're just as relieved that you managed to escape the situation with a bump on the head and perhaps some bruised pride."

"I'm glad Tony didn't kill me," he said, "Other then the obvious reason that I don't exactly wanna be dead, Tony would...well you know him."

"Yes, I was thinking the same. He would never have forgiven himself." The room grew silent for a few long moments.

"How long will Abby be in surgery?"

"Though I'm not sure to the extent of the injury, the surgeon who will be performing the procedure takes a great deal of care in his work. My estimation would be no longer then a couple of hours," he looked down at his watch. "Would you fancy a card game?" he pulled a deck from his pocket and received a grin from his friend.

* * *

Tony and Ziva had driven up and down the streets surrounding the Sampson residence in search for McGee's car, to no avail. "Perhaps he took a cab?" Ziva suggested.

"Maybe...we could go to the office and search his phone records. See if he called for one."

"Are you still okay to drive?" she asked. "Maybe we should go home and sleep a little before we continue." He glanced over at her with a smirk.

"The next time I get into bed with you, I don't intend to leave it for a very long time," he said it smoothly, with only a hint of DiNozzo charm. The corner of her mouth turned up at him. "I promised I'd figure out what happened to McForgetful's car. After I do, and bring him his bag, I promise I will be more than happy to spend the rest of the day in bed."

She laughed through her nose. He loved when she laughed through her nose. "We should hurry up and find it then..."

* * *

"Uh, Ducky..." Tim said as his grip on the cards tightened. Duck looked up at his face as McGee's eyes squeezed shut.

"Headache?" he asked.

"Feels like someone's stabbing me in the head," he squeaked out.

"I'll go see if it's time for more painkillers. You lie down," he said as he stood. Tim didn't argue. He dropped the cards, blindly, to the table and held onto his head as he slowly lowered himself down to his pillow on his side.

It seemed like a lifetime before the pain subsided...before he could stand to open his eyes again. And when he did, he saw Gibbs sitting beside the bed in the chair. "When did you get here?" Tim asked.

"'Bout twenty minutes ago," he replied.

"They gave you some morphine in your IV," Ducky said, Tim turning to see him as he came in. "They ran an MRI to make sure there weren't any serious complications."

"How long have I been out?" he seemed to panic, "I feel like I just laid my head down for a few minutes..."

"The mind sometimes has a funny way of interpreting pain, Timothy," he said as he came around to the side of his bed. "It's been a little over an hour since I first left to get the nurse. Your MRI came back showing no abnormalities. You simply required a better form of pain management."

"Seems to be working," McGee said as he pushed himself up a bit to sit.

"Tony called," Gibbs said. "He's on his way here with your overnight bag."

"He found my car?"

"Never left NCIS," Gibbs said, "Apparently you caught a cab to get to the Sampsons residence." He watched McGee's face as his eyes began to blink rapidly. "You okay, McGee?"

"I think I remember being in the cab," he said. Then he turned to Gibbs, "Boss, I'm sorry about-"

"Don't gotta explain it to me," Gibbs stopped him. "I understand." McGee shot a confused look at his boss, to which Gibbs smirked. "But if you ever do anything like that again-"

"It won't happen again, Boss..." he interrupted.

"McGee!" Tony came into the room with a grin on his face, "Boss said you were out of it when I called. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just a headache, but I'm good now." Tony set the overnight bag down on the side table.

"Good," Tony said, seemingly a bit anxious as he stood with his hands on his hips. Gibbs noticed the finicky state of his agent.

"Somethin' botherin' you, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

"Just slipping slowly into a pit of delirium, Boss," he smiled. "Three hours of sleep in the last three days... Not as young as I used to be."

"Do I gotta shoot ya to get you to go home and sleep?" Gibbs cocked his head.

"No, Boss," he scratched his head and furrowed his brow. Gibbs realized that he'd taken offense at the remark. He glanced at McGee who had a blank look on his face when he'd seen Tony's reaction. Gibbs ran a hand down his face.

"Didn't mean it like that," he said. Tony smirked in his direction, a bit sheepishly. "Go home. We've got things covered here."

"Kay," he said. "I'll be by again in the morning," he turned to Tim, "If you need anything just call me." McGee nodded to him with a small smile, and Tony left the room. Gibbs glanced over at Ducky who was just getting off the phone.

"That was the surgeon," Ducky told him. "Abigail is out of surgery..."

* * *

**More to come tomorrow—sorry it's taking me forever to update (for me anyway lol). **


	11. Chapter 11

**Much love to everyone reading :) I crave your feedback and appreciate all the kind, encouraging words :)**

* * *

Tony DiNozzo quietly and carefully crawled into his bed next to an already sleeping Ziva David. As he settled his head down into his pillow, he smiled at the beautiful woman beside him, resisting the urge to reach out and touch her face. She needed the sleep as much as he did.

He was surprised that she hadn't snored like she did when they were undercover. And the thought occurred to him that maybe, at the time, she was simply faking the snoring to aggravate him. Tony smirked, and allowed her steady breaths lull him to sleep.

* * *

Gibbs sat close to Abby's bed in the chair; his hand absentmindedly brushing her bangs to the side as she slept. Subconsciously, he longed for her to wake up, even though he knew she should continue to sleep. But he wanted to know what she was feeling...that she was okay, and not in any pain.

When she began to stir, he immediately felt a wash of guilt at his selfishness, and pulled his hand away from her face, placing it on her hand instead.

"Gibbs?" he was stunned to hear her whisper his name before she began to cough lightly.

"Abs," he grabbed the cup of water beside the bed. Moving to sit on the bed beside her, he held the straw to her mouth, which she immediately accepted, taking a long sip before releasing it. "You shouldn't try to talk," he said as he placed the cup down. "Gotta let yourself heal."

_"So weird to be breathing like normal again without the trach," _she signed. He smirked at her.

"You want 'em to put it back?"

_"Hell no," _she smiled. He returned the smile, turning his head down slightly in an attempt to somewhat conceal the blush he could feel on his cheeks. It had made him happy to hear what little he could of her voice.

"You feel okay?" he asked, looking back up at her. "In any pain?" She shook her head.

_"A little nauseated, and kind of sleepy, but I'm good. What time is it?"_

"Almost five," he told her. "Vance wants me to come in for a meeting. Why don't you go back to sleep, and I'll have Duck check in on you till I can get back here."

_"You don't have to stay here every free moment you have," _she signed. _"Don't you have a boat to work on?" _she smirked.

_"Boat isn't more important then you, Abby," _he signed. _"And I don't mind being here."_

_ "I'm glad to have you here...but you can't drop everything to sit around here while I heal. You have a job to do and they need you."_

"We need you, too," he said. "So let us be here for you, Abs. We want to." She gave him another small smile as she gave in. Then they turned as a nurse came into the room; the same one that had interpreted for Abby earlier. Gibbs stood from the bed as she walked over.

"Good to see you up, Abby," she smiled. "We're having a tray sent up for you with some soft foods. I know it's not the most appetizing stuff on the menu, but for the next few days you'll need to take care not to eat anything that could potentially damage what the surgeon did," she began to pull off the bandage from Abby's throat to change it. Gibbs got a small glimpse of the wound which made his stomach churn. "Are you in any pain?"

_"Just tired and a little nauseated," _she signed.

"The pain meds cause drowsiness. And the nausea is a normal side-effect of the anesthesia. It should ease off in a little while."

"I'm gonna go meet with Vance," Gibbs told Abby, "I'll see you later," he began to move toward the door and turned to sign, _"Love you." _After a smile from Abby, he continued out.

* * *

Ziva opened her eyes after a peaceful sleep. The first thing she focused on was the back of Tony's head. She grinned, happy to see he had come back and slept. She scooted her body closer to him, relishing in the warmth of his skin against hers.

Tony was roused from his sleep by the feel of warm skin against his. The smell of Ziva filled his nostrils, and he grinned. Not fully awake, he allowed his eyes to drift closed and enjoy the feeling of her against his back. But then he felt her hand slide up over his side, and down over his belly...then down into the front of his pajama pants. As she grasped his quickly hardening shaft, he groaned deep in his throat.

She smiled, pleased at his reaction, and leaned over to kiss his neck as her hand moved up and down. "God Ziva..." he twisted around to face her and crushed his mouth to hers, allowing his hand to glide down her back. One thought ran through his mind in that moment; how did he not notice that she'd been naked when he crawled into bed?

Tony's heart sped up as she pushed him onto his back and moved to straddle him; the sheets seductively slipping down and revealing her body to him. He watched her with hooded eyes as she leaned forward. "I remember being promised the rest of the day in bed with you," she said as her hand snaked down the front of him.

"I had no intentions of breaking that promise," he smiled and his breath hitched as she reached between them and pulled his pants down past his erection.

"Good," she replied as she sat up and hovered over him. His hands traveled up her thighs until he reached her waist, eager for her to begin. She lowered herself down onto him and his head arched back at the sensation as he groaned. His knees bent and his feet planted flat against the bed as he sat up, supporting himself with one arm as he crushed his mouth to hers again.

It was Ziva's turn to moan as his thrust against her; his hand low on her back, pressing her harder against him. The position was perfect; hitting her in all the right places. It caused her to arch against him; one hand going to his shoulder, and the other going behind her on the bed, supporting her as she met each thrust with her own.

She was astonished at how quickly her orgasm was approaching. Tony watched as she bit down on her lower lip and he knew she was close. He sped up his thrusting and heard her begin to cry out; felt her convulse around him. He rode out her orgasm, but stopped as she recovered, as he felt closer to the edge then he wanted to be just yet.

But Ziva began to move against him again and his eyes shot to her, "W-wait, Zi," he said with hitching breath. She smiled deviously as she continued. "Zi...I'm gonna...Zi—oh god!" he exploded into her; his hips wildly thrusting up against her as his vision grayed from the sudden release.

He fell back on the bed; Ziva falling with him. Her face settled in the crook of his neck. When his breath returned to him, Tony's hand went to her hair. "You're a bad ninja," he said as he hugged her to him. She laughed through her nose. "It was supposed to last a little longer then that."

"We have all night," she said softly in his ear before nipping at the lobe. He groaned and flipped her onto her back, settling himself on top of her and looking into her deep brown eyes.

"Careful what ya wish for..."

* * *

**1 week later...**

"You can't possibly tell me that you think a velociraptor could beat a t-rex, Probie," Tony said as he squinted at Tim from his desk.

"I didn't say _a_ velociraptor. I meant a pack of them. If there were a couple more in the museum, they could've taken it down."

"Clearly, you weren't watching the part where he threw the raptor across the room and roared as the banner fell down in front of him: When dinosaurs ruled the earth...," he dramatized with his hands, "Classic moment..."

"I would've seen it if you didn't send me out for more soda," Tim retorted.

"Seen what, McGee?" Gibbs said as he strolled into the bullpen.

"Tony and McGee watched Jurassic Park with Abby at the hospital last night," Ziva explained.

"It was the only thing on tv, Boss," Tony defended.

"Hope you didn't stay up the whole night watching movies, DiNozzo," he said as he fished his gun and badge from his desk drawer.

"Got a case?" Tony stood and grabbed his backpack.

"Dead Navy Lieutenant," Gibbs replied and looked over at McGee. "Need you to call Ducky, then stand by to run evidence."

"They've got a sub down in the lab, Boss," McGee said.

"I know that, McGee," he squinted, "But I need someone who knows what the hell they're doin'," he continued his glare at the agent until Tim picked up the phone to dial. "Let's go," he motioned to his other two agents as he made his way to the elevator.

Tony glanced back toward McGee before getting into the elevator. Tim had a look of disappointment on his face and met Tony's gaze before he was out of sight. Tony furrowed a brow and swallowed as the door closed behind them. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt as they'd left him behind.

"Don't think he's ready for fieldwork yet, Boss?" he asked in a low voice. Gibbs glanced over at him. Recognizing the look on his agent's face, he decided against yelling.

"The tech they've got in for Abby is an idiot," he said, looking back out in front of him. "I need someone I can trust to get the job done till she's ready to come back to work." Tony hoped McGee understood that fact.

"Abby is being discharged this evening, yes?" Ziva asked Gibbs.

"Yeah," he replied, and neither agent missed the brief grin that appeared on his face.

"She will be staying at your house?" she pushed. Gibbs cocked his head.

"If you spare a few mornings and stay with her," he turned to them, "Just in case...until she comes back to work Monday."

"Well we'd have to get permission from the boss," Tony smiled sarcastically, "But of course. No problem at all."

"Do you even have food in your refrigerator?" Ziva smirked. Gibbs cocked his head a second time and smirked at the Israeli.

"That sounded like a volunteer to go grocery shopping," he said as the doors opened and he walked out. Tony snickered and Ziva swatted him in the back on the head before following Gibbs. His jaw cocked before he walked out after her.

* * *

"This man has only been dead for a couple of hours, Jethro," Ducky said as he removed the liver probe. "By the look and position of the wound, I'd say he was stabbed. There's not an incredible amount of blood, which leads me to believe his killer gained a direct hit into his heart, killing him almost instantly."

"Professional?" Tony asked.

"Not likely," Ziva spoke up. "Broad daylight, and didn't leave behind the weapon. Not to mention the bloody shoe-print," she pointed a few feet away.

"Wallet's missing," Gibbs added after searching the man's pockets.

"How did they identify the body?" Palmer asked.

"Dog tags, Mr. Palmer," Ducky said as he revealed the metal tags around the man's neck.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs got the agent's attention. "Call McGee; tell him to look up Lieutenant John Gregory. See if he had a registered vehicle. If this was a robbery, they might've found car keys and taken his car."

"Got it, Boss," Tony pulled out his cell and dialed McGee. "Hey, Probie. We need you to look somethin' up," he explained into the phone. Ziva's attention was suddenly pulled to the alley across the street.

"I have been here before," she said to no one in particular as she slowly made her way from the sidewalk toward the alley.

"We're not far from Arlington," Ducky said, briefly glancing back at her before returning to he and Palmer's efforts to put the body into a body bag. Ziva continued slowly into the street.

"I was here looking for Flea," she said quietly to herself as she recalled. She stopped and glared down the empty alley where she'd once spoken to the homeless man that had given her the information.

Tony looked over in her direction as he continued to talk to McGee. He glanced up the street as a car came around the corner. His eyes went back to Ziva as she continued her stance in the street. The car sped up and Tony panicked, dropping his phone as he took off toward her.

"Ziva!" he yelled, pulling her from her trance. She saw the car just inches away from her before Tony pushed her out of the way. Gibbs looked up when he heard him yell her name, and saw the car hit Tony, sending him rolling over the hood and off the other side as the car kept going. He drew his gun and began to fire at the car, hitting the back window.

The car suddenly spun out of control and ran into a utility pole. Gibbs ran to the car, swinging open the door to see the man he'd hit. He'd been shot in the stomach, but Gibbs had hit him in the head. He was dead... not going anywhere. Gibbs turned back toward his agents as he quickly made his way to where Tony had fallen.

Ducky and Palmer were at Tony's side as well as Ziva. "He okay?" Gibbs called as he approached.

"Just got--" Tony sat up as he tried to breathe, "Just got the wind...knocked outta me, Boss," he coughed. Gibbs squinted as he visually assessed the agent. He pulled out his cell.

_"Boss, what happened over there? I was on the phone with Tony and the line cut off..." _McGee sounded panicked.

"Got hit by a car," he replied.

_"Oh my god, is he okay?"_

"He's okay. I need you to run a plate for me," he said, turning back to the crashed vehicle, and told him the plate number.

_"Uh..."_

"What is it?"

_"That's the Lieutenant's car, Boss. Tony had me check for any vehicles registered in his name..."_

* * *

**Alright, folks. It's bedtime. Wish me luck, I'm going to look at a car tomorrow—I needz one!! I should have another chapter up tomorrow night :) **


	12. Chapter 12

Doctor Donald Mallard and Jimmy Palmer stood tentatively over the two bodies in autopsy. They'd finished the autopsies, and awaited McGee's arrival to pick up the bullets for examination. Two little jars, each labeled accordingly; one from Gibbs' gun, and one from the victim's stomach. Ducky had confirmed his original findings in the Lieutenant's stabbing.

Palmer closed the two drawers, closing the bodies into the refrigeration unit. "Think Tony's really okay?" Jimmy asked the doctor.

"He seemed to be," Ducky was pulled from his preoccupation of thoughts. The doors hissed open behind them and they both turned. "Agent McGee," Ducky welcomed him, "Here are the bullets. I confirmed the Lieutenant's death to be the stab wound to the heart. As for this young fellow, Gibbs' did get the kill shot, but he was slowly bleeding to death from a previous gunshot, I'd say he'd received less then an hour before you discovered him."

"Thanks, Duck," he said as he took the jars and began to head out.

"Something troubling you, Timothy?" Ducky pulled his attention back to him. Tim turned back to him.

"No...?"

"That seemed like a question to my question," Ducky moved a little closer to the agent. "You're upset about something." McGee looked down at the floor.

"Gibbs stuck me on desk duty." Ducky squinted at him.

"I thought Gibbs stuck you in the lab?"

"Well, either way...he doesn't think I can handle the field right now."

"Are you sure you're interpreting that correctly?" Ducky asked and Tim looked back up at him. "Seems to me that he was entrusting you with the work he expects from Abigail. I would consider that a great honor."

"I can't replace Abby," he furrowed his brow.

"You're not. But Gibbs knows you're capable of filling in, in her absence. If anything, you should feel quite proud." McGee considered his words. A sense of calm relief washed over him.

"Maybe you're right, Ducky. Thanks," he gave him a small smile and headed out of the room toward the elevator.

"That was very nice of you, Doctor," Palmer said from across the room. Ducky turned to look at him before heading to his desk.

"Yes, well...it's the truth."

* * *

"Everything check out okay?" Gibbs asked as Tony and Ziva walked into the bullpen after returning from the E.R.

"I told you I was fine," Tony said, slightly annoyed at having to go.

"He has a few bruised ribs, but nothing is broken," Ziva told him.

"Hardly worth the hour long wait to get x-rays."

"What were you doing in the middle of the street, Ziva?" Gibbs asked, and she shot a guilt ridden look at him.

"The alley way," she began, "I was there the other night looking for Abby's attacker. It's where I got a location to find out about Flea." Gibbs' looked down at his desktop for a moment in thought. Something _had_ seemed familiar about the man he'd shot. He stood from his desk.

"DiNozzo," he looked in the direction of his agent, "You and McGee had pulled up Ids of Flea's known associates. Can you pull that up again?"

"Sure, Boss," he went over to McGee's computer and began typing. Gibbs stood, somewhat patiently in front of the big screen as it took Tony a little more time to get the images up. More time then Tim, at least. And just as he was about to question the agent, the images popped up on the screen and his gaze shot up to it. He squinted at the third ID. "What is it?" Tony asked.

"That's the guy in autopsy," he pointed.

"So it's official," Tony chimed in, "The auto-theft club has upgraded to murder."

"Any of them have registered weapons?" Gibbs asked.

"No one on that list," Ziva said. "They use knives."

"Could there be rivals?" They both looked over at Tony. "You know, like two different gangs involved in similar activities, and now they're pissed 'cause business is being taken out from under them..."

"There _has_ been a steady increase in stolen vehicles in the past three weeks in the D.C area," Ziva stated. Gibbs looked at her in thought.

"You and DiNozzo, go ask around where you did last time. And please," he stressed to them, "Try and look both ways before crossing the street." He turned to the stairwell to go down to the lab.

Ziva tried not to take offense at the remark as she and Tony made their way to the elevator, but Tony could sense the feeling of guilt on her face. "Stop, Zi," Tony said as the doors closed. She looked at him questioningly. "We already talked about this. It's not your fault."

"You could have been killed," she squinted.

"_You_ coulda been killed, Ziva," he turned to face her. "I told you I've always got your six. The way you were standing, the car would've snapped your spine. I knew what I was doing when I pushed you out of the way."

"And you do not think there was a possibility that _your_ spine would have snapped?" she squinted.

"No, there wasn't," he told her, "Because, aside from the immediate need to save you, I new I'd be hit. But I also considered _how_ I'd be hit, so I rolled onto the car."

"Did you learn that from one of your movies?" she asked sarcastically.

"What? There's a law now that I can't use moves I've seen in movies?" he retorted with just as much enthusiasm. She got closer to him as she glared.

"Movies are _not real_, Tony. One of these days you will try something and end up seriously hurt." He looked at her with furrowed brow, confused as to how they even started this argument. The moment of silence seemed long and filled with aggravation.

"Why are you so angry with me?" he barely whispered. Her features softened.

"I am not angry with you," she said. "I..." she looked away toward the doors, "I just don't want you to put yourself in harm's way to save me..." He turned her face back to him.

"Losing you would hurt me a helluva lot more than any bump, scrape or broken bone," he looked into her eyes as hers darted back and forth between his. But before she could respond, they were forced to pull away from each other as the elevator doors opened.

They quickly moved past the other NCIS employees as they exited and made their way to Tony's car. Once inside, Ziva took his hand in hers. His eyes shot to hers. "I am sorry," she told him. "I should not have gotten upset..."

"It's okay," he smirked. "I understand what you meant," his thumb grazed over the top of her hand. She smiled at him, longing to just lean over and kiss him, but knowing they couldn't risk that here...

* * *

"Got anything for me, McGee?" Gibbs said as he strolled into the lab.

"Uh...yeah, Boss," Tim stumbled over his words when he was startled by his boss's sudden appearance. "The bullet Ducky pulled from the guy's gut was unique in the fact that it's from an old box of ammo issued with the M1 Garand to U.S. Soldiers during Vietnam. And according to some similar posted information in ballistics, it was actually _fired_ from an M1 Garand."

"Interesting choice of weapon for auto-theft," Gibbs said.

"That's what I thought too," McGee replied as he pulled up some information on the computer, "So I decided to look through any reports of stolen weapons in the area. No M1 Garands were specifically reported stolen, but last week, a guy named Donald Anderson reported seven military issued handguns stolen from his home. I looked him up in the database; he's a Vietnam War Veteran," he looked back at Gibbs.

"Got an address?"

"Right here, Boss," he handed him a piece of paper with the print out of Mr. Anderson's information. Gibbs cocked his head.

"Good work, McGee," he smirked. Tim returned a small smile and turned back to the computer. "You got anything else to do?" he asked.

"I don't think so..." he replied softly, "I was gonna clean up the drives for Abby."

"It can wait," Gibbs said, and McGee turned to him with a questioning look. "Unless you'd rather not go..." he squinted.

"Oh..." he seemed slightly confused as he furrowed his brow. But as Gibbs started to walk away, he came to realization, "Oh! Okay," McGee stood and followed Gibbs out of the lab; a small smile playing on his lips...

* * *

"Mr. Anderson?" Gibbs said as the older man opened the front door.

"Yeah," he answered in a gruff voice.

"We're with NCIS," he held up his badge, "I'm Agent Gibbs; this is Agent McGee. We're here about the report you filed for the stolen weapons-"

"You're too late," he said, "I already got 'em back." Gibbs squinted at the man. "Look, I told the police who took them. Hell, I even told them where to find the damn guy. They didn't do anything, so I went down there myself and got 'em back."

"When was that?"

"Today," he replied.

"Mr. Anderson, do you happen to own an M1 Garand?" McGee asked.

"Yeah."

"Was it recovered as well?" Gibbs asked. Anderson smirked.

"Recovered? It's the only damn gun they didn't find," he opened his door all the way and walked into the house. The agents followed him in, glancing around the well-kept, but aged home. Anderson reached beside a bureau and picked up the rifle. "Here she is," he held it out. McGee had already slipped on a pair of latex gloves and took the gun from him, checking it over.

"Recently fired, Boss," he said.

"Yeah, I fired it today," Anderson said. Gibbs and McGee looked at him for explanation. "Ya think I went down there empty-handed?"

"Why don't ya tell me what happened, Sir," Gibbs said, and Anderson motioned for them to take a seat on the couch. They moved to it as he sat in a recliner across from them.

"Like I said, my guns were stolen. After the cops did nothin', I decided to go take care of the problem myself. Went down to the abandoned warehouse three blocks from here in my car. Saw my old steam crate and went in to get it."

"How'd you know where it would be?" McGee asked.

"That's where they're always at," he replied.

"Who?" Gibbs asked.

"The dumbass kids that rob people. Steal cars mostly, but they're in and out before anyone can catch 'em. But I caught 'em comin' in with a Ford. Kid had a bloody knife in his hand and started to come at me with it. I woulda just butted him, but the other kid was getting ready to jump me too. So I took a shot at him; hit him in the gut, and the other one started to run off."

"What'd you do then?" Gibbs asked.

"Well...then I shot him in the ass," he said, a smirk slowly forming on his face. Gibbs couldn't help a small smirk off his own. "Guy I hit in the gut got back in the car and tore off. Left the other kid behind. So I asked him if he wanted me to take him to the hospital."

"Did you take him?"

"Said to get the hell away from him, and I didn't argue. Called an ambulance for him once I got home." Gibbs glanced to McGee.

"Call Bethesda; see if they brought in a gunshot victim today." McGee nodded and got up to walk into another room to make the call.

"I did happen to grab the knife from him and throw it in my trunk with my guns."

"We'll need to take that from you."

"Are ya charging me with something?"

"No," Gibbs replied. "Self-defense. But we need to knife because a Navy Lieutenant was killed with it."

"Owner of the car?" Anderson furrowed a brow. Gibbs nodded. "Godamn kids didn't used to kill people for the cars. Something's changed around here since that gal was attacked up there at the Apple Market...come to think of it, they said on the news that she worked for NCIS?"

"She still does," Gibbs replied and watched the man carefully as he opened the trunk that had been sitting in front of them this whole time, as a coffee table.

"So she lived then. That's good to hear," he picked up a baggie that held the knife and handed it to Tim. "Damn kids have no right tryin' to kill people...especially a woman, for god's sake. You fellas need anything else from me?"

"A statement, if you could come down to NCIS," Gibbs said. "You got someplace else you could stay?"

"Why would I need to stay someplace else?"

"They might come back."

"There isn't anyone left," he laughed. Gibbs squinted in question. "The two blond guys both got locked up, last I heard. There was four of them, total. I shot the other two today. I don't think they'll be comin' back here."

"How is it you know so much about them, but the police couldn't help?"

"Don't know. But it's not surprising. They were always called away to something else before they'd bring in a car. I listen in on the scanner...you won't tell, will ya?" Gibbs smirked.

"Tell what?" he cocked his head. Anderson laughed.

"You were a Marine, weren't ya?" it was more of a statement then a question. "I can tell. Listen...I can take care of myself. I don't need to leave here. But I'll help ya with whatever else I can."

"Boss," McGee pulled Gibbs' attention to him, "He's there. They've already got him confined." Gibbs nodded and turned back to Anderson.

"Any idea who they were selling the cars to?" he asked him.

"Now that, I'm not sure of," he answered. "They brought the cars to the warehouse, but left with them shortly thereafter. Never bothered to follow them." Gibbs pulled a card from his pocket and handed it to him.

"If you think of anything else that might be helpful, give me a call. And we'll need you to come in tomorrow morning to give a statement."

* * *

Tony and Ziva were walking back to the car as Tony's cell rang. Ziva got into the car first, watching Tony as he talked. She stretched and shifted in her seat before slipping on her seat belt. Tony got into the car right as the call ended.

"Was that Gibbs?" Ziva asked.

"Yeah. Apparently, all the car thieves have been rounded up. Now we're looking for the buyer."

"Where are we looking?" she turned to face him as he started the car.

"Right now, we're going to Bethesda." Ziva looked at him in question. "Something about a guy shooting one of the guys in the ass? We're supposed to ask him who they sold the cars to." Ziva squinted.

"The man who shot the man in the ass? Or the man who was shot?" Tony cocked his jaw and squinted in thought.

"I...do not know," he glanced to her briefly. "Guess we'll find out when we get there?"

* * *

**hahaha...i pictured the classic dinozzo face of mass confusion for that last line and cracked up. But it could be delirium...im pretty tired! More to come tomorrow—and yeah, it'll be based around Abby :)**


	13. Chapter 13

Gibbs and McGee stepped out of the car when they parked across the street from the abandoned warehouse that Anderson had mentioned. The building was already surrounded by local PD; yellow police tape, sectioning off the building.

McGee shared a glance with Gibbs as one of the officers approached them. Gibbs held out his badge. "This isn't NCIS jurisdiction, Agent Gibbs," the officer said. "Civilian drug trafficking case."

"One of those civilians killed a Navy Lieutenant," Gibbs told him, "So this _is_ our jurisdiction." The officer furrowed a brow.

"And don't you mean auto-theft?" McGee asked. The officer furrowed his brow even more at the agent.

"I don't know what you've been told," the officer said, "But all the vehicles that were reported stolen that we were told these guys might have taken, have been recovered. All in less then twenty-four hours, and no solid evidence to link them to it."

"And what evidence links them to drug-trafficking?" Gibbs asked. The officer motioned for them to follow him into the building. Officers were collecting samples of the blood on the floor as they walked past them into a small office.

"This answer your question?" the officer motioned his hand to a pile of bags of white powder. "I figure, if they were the ones stealing the cars, then they were using them to transport this."

"You had officers staking out this place," Gibbs said. "Why didn't they search the building?"

"We didn't have anyone staking this place out," the officer furrowed a brow again. "We got a call about someone being shot here this morning. Put together the pieces."

"You never followed up on a report made by Donald Anderson?"

"Stolen weapons report?" he asked.

"Among other things."

"Got a couple of my detectives working that case," he said. "What does it have to do with this?"

"We're gonna need to speak with them," Gibbs replied. The officer cocked his head.

"That's gonna be a little difficult..."

"Why's that?"

"They never reported for duty today," he replied, "Not answering calls, so I had some of my guys go check it out. Suitcases and clothes are missing, so I figured they got a lead; left to follow it."

"You figured?" Gibbs cocked his head.

"They've taken off in the past on leads without reporting until after the fact. They usually get the job done, so I've learned to trust their instincts."

"I've got a witness placing officers here several nights over the last week," Gibbs told him. "You think they would've held stake-outs without telling you?" The officer's eyes darted around in the space between them.

"Maybe..." he looked at Gibbs as the agent glared at him. "You sayin' they had something to do with this?" Gibbs was going to respond, but his cell began to ring. He glanced at the ID before looking back at the officer, and turning to answer the call.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

_"Boss, we talked to this suspect," _Tony said on the other line. _"He's claiming there were local cops paying them to transport cocaine. Stole a car for each transport, and the cops would remove any evidence so they could be returned without convicting them."_

"They jumped ship," Gibbs realized.

_"Boss?"_

"We know what cops did it, but they must've realized we'd discover something after all their hired hands got put away or killed," he ended the call and looked at the officer. "Find your detectives. Then give me a call," he handed him a card.

* * *

The team met back in the bullpen. Tony took the knife down to the lab, allowing Abby's temporary replacement to verify the blood belonged to their victim. Upon his return, he found the other agents surrounding the big screen.

"What I miss?" he asked as he joined them.

"Just looked up bank records for the two detectives, Jacob Henson and Red Harmon," McGee said.

"I didn't know Red was an actual name," Tony squinted.

"That aside, it looks like they both made several deposits, each around five grand a piece. The cocaine the police found at the warehouse would've been worth ten grand, easily."

"So they were splitting the profit," Ziva added.

"Looks like it," McGee said.

"No withdrawals," Gibbs commented.

"Which seems odd, considering they had four people working for them," Tony said.

"Didn't pay them in money," Gibbs said, and they all looked at him. "They were all drug addicts. Probably supplied them with what they needed."

"A regulated drug supply would keep them coming back," Tony said, "Seeing as they couldn't afford to keep up the habit on their otherwise unemployed salary."

"Question is, where'd the coke come from?" Gibbs asked. McGee went to his computer.

"I remember hearing about a robbery of the PD evidence locker not too long ago," he said as he began to pull up the information. "Looks like they'd recovered over twelve-hundred kilograms of cocaine during a major drug bust last month. Five-hundred kilograms went missing in the robbery. No leads."

"That's gotta be worth millions," Tony said. Gibbs desk phone rang, and he went to answer it as the agents continued talking.

"Uh oh," McGee said, squinting at his screen as he typed.

"What's 'uh oh'?" Tony and Ziva looked over at him. McGee glanced briefly at them before speaking.

"Both accounts were just closed."

"Frozen or seized?" Tony asked.

"Neither. All the money was withdrawn and the accounts were closed."

"Coverin' their tracks," Gibbs said as he hung up the phone. They looked at him. "They just found Gabe Sampson, dead in his cell... Only one left, and he's at Bethesda."

"They've got officers all over the room, Boss," Tony said. "I'll call and let them know..." he hurried to his desk. Gibbs watched as the agent grimaced upon sitting down; his hand going to his chest as the other reached for the phone.

"They give him any pain killers?" Gibbs quietly asked Ziva.

"He has not taken any since he was at the hospital," she replied, glancing back at Tony for a moment.

"Boss," McGee stood and walked to Gibbs, "Do you think Abby could be in danger?" Gibbs flinched. He hadn't thought of that.

"Why would she be in danger, McGee?" he asked.

"I- I'm not really sure. But everything we've been investigating all ties into the same category. Abby is the only known survivor of two unsuccessful operations." Gibbs considered his words.

"You and Ziva go to Bethesda and wait outside. I doubt Henson and Harmon will try and blow their cover going inside while the cops are there," he looked up as Tony stood and joined them after ending his call. "DiNozzo, you're with me."

"Where we goin'?"

"We're gonna get Abby checked out a little early."

* * *

"Why did we take _my_ car, Boss?" Tony asked as they reached halfway point toward the hospital. "Not that I have a problem with that...but..."

"'Cause you need to take your meds, and Ziva said they're in the glove box." Tony squinted briefly.

"I don't need them right now," he looked forward.

"Oh?" he glanced at him, briefly taking his eyes off the road. "You auditioning for the role of Quasimodo?" Tony realized then that he was hunched over slightly, and immediately attempted to straighten up. But he regretted the action as the pain in his ribs shot through him and caused him to resume his hunched position.

Letting out a struggled moan, he gave in, reaching into the glove box and retrieving his prescription. "You shoulda went home," Gibbs said.

"Honestly, Boss, I'm just a little sore. Nothin' warranting time off."

"When we check Abby out, you're gonna be."

"Boss-"

"I need you to take her to my house," he said, glancing over at him again. "An' keep an eye on her till I get there. Think you can manage that?"

"Guess that depends on what you'll be doing till you get home," he said, swallowing down a couple of pills with a bottle of water.

"Staking out Harmon and Henson."

"Much fun as that sounds, I think I'll cash in on my 'sick' card," he grinned.

* * *

"Here we go," Tony said as he pushed through Gibbs' door with Abby's overnight bag, letting her walk in before him.

"Thanks," she said in a hoarse, whisper of a voice as she walked in and over to the couch to sit. Tony closed the door and walked into the room, staggering a bit before setting the bag down on the coffee table. "You okay, Tony?"

"Yeah," he said, then sat down in the chair. "Pain killers are kicking in. I was supposed to eat something with them, so I guess I'm a little light-headed."

"Well, let me make you something," she stood and headed to the kitchen.

"No, Abs, don't worry about it. Besides, there's nothing in there. You know Gibbs. Ziva's bringing groceries later."

"Let's order something then," she said as she turned back toward him.

"Can you eat pizza?" he grinned. She nodded and smiled back.

"I'm so sick of hospital food, I'll eat anything."

* * *

**10:17 pm**...

They'd captured the rogue detectives and sent them off with the local PD. McGee and Gibbs rode in Ziva's car toward NCIS where they'd drop McGee off at his car. Reports could wait until morning.

Once McGee was in his car, they drove off. Ziva turned to Gibbs, "I still need to pick up groceries," she reminded him. "Do you want me to drop you off before I do that?" He looked at her.

"Don't need too much, Ziver," he said, "I'll go with ya, and then you can drop DiNozzo off home."

* * *

Gibbs and Ziva entered the house with brown paper bags filled with groceries. "Hey, Abs," Gibbs said as he rounded into the living room, seeing her at the end of the couch reading a magazine. Then he noticed Tony asleep on the couch beside her. He was curled up on his side; his head snug against the arm, and his feet just barely touching where Abby sat. "When did he pass out?" he asked as he set the bags down in the kitchen, and turning immediately back to her.

"He took another pain killer," she spoke lightly; voice broken but healing. "His chest was killing him, even though he tried to act like it was nothing." Ziva placed the bags down and came into the living room with a concerned look on her face.

"Did he eat?" she asked.

"Barely touched the pizza," she motioned toward the fridge where she'd put the leftovers.

"How long's he been out?" Gibbs asked as he moved toward them, sitting on the coffee table in front of Tony.

"Couple hours maybe," she told him. Gibbs reached out to touch his agent's shoulder, shaking just slightly.

"Hey, Tony," he tried to wake him, and became concerned when he didn't so much as flinch. "DiNozzo!" he said a little louder, and Tony's eyes cracked open.

"Shit...did I fall asleep?" he moved to push himself up and Gibbs squinted as he watched him hold his chest as he moved upright. "Sorry, Boss..."

"It's okay," Abby interrupted, "Really I've just been reading. I didn't need help or anything."

"Yeah, but he told me to keep an eye on you," Tony told her, "Can't do that with my eyes closed."

"You need to go back to the hospital?" Gibbs asked. Tony shot him a smirk.

"C'mon, I'm fine," he laughed. "My sleep schedule is a little off, that's all."

"I will take him home and keep an eye on him," Ziva said as she moved to him. Tony smiled big, swaggering a bit as he stood. Gibbs stood and took hold of his arms to steady him.

"Ziva's gonna take good care of me, Boss," he slurred and smiled drunkenly at him. Ziva made an unreadable face as she took Tony's arm.

"Need help getting him to the car?" Gibbs asked.

"I think I can manage," she said.

"Stay home tomorrow, DiNozzo," Gibbs called after them.

"Only if Ziva can stay with me," he called back without turning to look at him.

"No more pain killers for you," they heard Ziva say as they made their way out. Gibbs smirked as he watched her get him into the car, and shut the door. He made his way back into the living room. Abby was silently laughing on the couch as she looked up at him.

"How ya feelin'?" he asked as he sat down beside her, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"Good," she said, laying her head on his shoulder. "How'd it go with the detectives?"

"Everything's taken care of," he said. He felt her take a breath.

"I'm a little tired," she yawned. He smirked, squeezing her shoulder a bit as he kissed the top of her head.

"Guest room is made up for ya," he told her. "Need help getting upstairs?" She started to sit up.

"He slit my throat, Gibbs. Didn't break my legs," she reached out for her bag and glanced at Gibbs, noticing a disturbed look on his face. The mention of her injury had brought images into his mind that he hadn't wanted to relive.

He quickly straightened when he realized she was looking at him. "Okay," he said. "Just let me know if you need anything," he stood and moved toward the basement door.

"Mind if I grab a shower?" she asked.

"There's some clean towels on the end of the bed," he gave her a small smile before retreating to the basement. He made his way toward the work bench, grabbing a bottle of bourbon and emptying a jar of nails so he could pour some of the beverage into it.

He heard the water come on upstairs as he swallowed down his drink; grimacing slightly at the familiar burn in his throat. Suddenly he felt a bit guilty for having run away from her, when clearly she was feeling something...

He moved to his wood-working, picking up a hand tool and going to work on the boat. Only a few minutes passed before his cell rang. He put down the tool and reached into his pocket to check the ID.

"What is it, DiNozzo?" he answered.

_"Boss...sshhhh..." _Tony sounded on the other line. Gibbs listened with a furrowed brow to the obviously over-medicated agent. _"Zi will hear you."_

"How's she gonna hear me unless you've got me on speaker?"

_"Oh...you're probably right."_

"What do ya need, Tony?"

_"I gotta tell you something." _Gibbs remained silent as he awaited him to continue.

"Whad'ya gotta tell me?" he insisted.

_"Ziva thinks you'll fire us if I tell you...oh god...you're not gonna fire us, are ya, Boss?" _he could hear the panic in his voice.

"Maybe you shouldn't tell me, then."

_"I wanna tell you, though..." _ Gibbs ran a hand down his face in frustration. _"I wanna tell you, 'cause I'm really happy."_

"I think what you are right now is really high," Gibbs smirked. He heard Tony laughing on the other end, perhaps a bit too heartily.

_"I know I might have a little too much pain killers in me right now, but that's not what I mean."_

"Yeah, but maybe it's why you feel compelled to tell me whatever it is that could get you fired."

_"You...you're not gonna fire me though, right?"_

"Why don't you call me back in the morning."

_"No. No, Boss, I won't have the courage in the morning. And I don't wanna lie to you again." _Gibbs sat down on the stool as he recalled a moment from what seemed like ages ago. Tony had come into the bathroom at NCIS, desperate to apologize to him about keeping his undercover assignment with Jeanne Benoit a secret from him. Though he'd had every right, he could tell that it had pained him to lie to his boss.

"Okay, Tony. I'm listening." He heard him take a deep breath.

_"I'm in love with Ziva," _he told him. Gibbs let the words sink in a bit, though it was obvious he'd had feelings for her for quite some time. Hearing it from Tony was somehow convicting.

"Can't fire you for falling in love," he said, taking a swig of his bourbon.

_"We're sleeping together, Boss..." _Gibbs choked as some of the bourbon had entered his windpipe at the bluntness of the agent's words. He coughed the offending liquid from his throat. _"Boss, you okay?" _He continued to cough, unable to yet form a word to respond. _"Shit...shit you're gonna fire me, aren't you," _he panicked.

"Damnit, DiNozzo," he coughed. "I'm not gonna fire you," he swallowed, "Ya caught me off guard is all." Both lines were silent for a long moment.

_"So...you're okay with this?"_

"I'm gonna pretend ya didn't tell me," he said, contrarily, "And you're gonna keep it outta the office. I can't stop Vance from makin' you leave." He heard Ziva in the background, seemingly panicked, and she took the phone from Tony.

_"Gibbs?" _

"Yeah, Ziva," he stretched his neck, thoroughly uncomfortable now.

_"Whatever he said to you..." _he listed as she struggled at what to say next.

"Is it true?" he asked, simply. She was silent for a moment.

_"I will not lie to you," _she answered. He nodded, though he knew she couldn't see.

"Do me a favor...don't give him back his phone till those pain killers wear off... I'll talk to you about this later. G'night, Ziver."

_"Goodnight..." _He ended the call, smirking at what he could only imagine she was thinking. He set the cell down on the work bench and picked up his hand tool, going back to his boat. He pondered what Tony had revealed to him. Despite what should have been his better judgment, he grinned. Mostly, he was proud that Tony had trusted to tell him, and that both of them had told him the truth, despite the awkwardness it might cause them.

Somewhere amidst his pondering, Gibbs realized that the water had stopped running. He wasn't sure how long ago Abby had finished her shower, but he felt as though he should check in on her. He put his hand tool down again, grabbing his phone before heading up the stairs.

He listened for any movement coming from the upstairs as he headed up. But as he approached the guest room, he saw the door was half open, and light was shining out into the hall. He peeked in, seeing her asleep on her side, facing him. She had borrowed one of his tee-shirts, he noticed. It made him grin a bit, and he made his way into the room.

Gibbs slowly pulled the blanket up to her shoulders and reached over to shut off the light. Before heading out, he bent down to kiss her cheek, and he left, leaving the door cracked slightly open before retreating to his own room.

* * *

Gibbs had just begun to drift into sleep when he heard a sound. He wasn't sure, at first, what it was; only that it had pulled him back into consciousness. So he laid there with his eyes open, straining his ears for whatever he'd heard.

Then it came; a struggled voice from the other room. He shot up from the bed, grabbing his gun as he ran into the hall, flipping on the hall light, and he ran into the guest room. He aimed into the room; the light from the hall spilling into it. But there was no one, except Abby, and she was shifting in the bed. Tossing and turning as her struggled cries continued.

He went to the bed, setting his gun down on the side table, and immediately tried to still her with his hands on her arms, "Abby," he said softly, trying to coax her from her nightmare. But her breaths remained labored, and her face was scrunched in fear. "Abs!" he yelled, "Wake up!"

"No!" her voice cracked and pitched. "Don't...don't!" she began to make choking sounds and her hands flew to her throat as she pushed herself back against the head board.

"Abby, it's me! It's Gibbs. You're safe! It's okay! He's not gonna hurt you anymore..." his hands tried to pull hers, and suddenly her eyes flew open. She focused on him, trying to regain her breath. His eyes searched her face and his hands went gently to her shoulders.

"Gibbs..." her face crumbled before him as tears streamed down her face. She lunged forward, curling into his chest as she cried. His arms went around her; one in her still damp hair, stroking her head in attempt to comfort her. "I could feel it," she said into his chest. He squinted. "I could feel him cutting into my neck...just like it was happening again..." His heart sank.

"It's okay, Abby..." he barely whispered. "He can't hurt you anymore." He held her until her sobbing ended and her breath returned to normal. And he kissed the top of her head before she gently pulled away. "You should try and get back to sleep." She shook her head.

"Every time I close my eyes, I see him," she said.

"Were you having nightmares in the hospital?" he asked.

"No..." her eyes darted around in the air between them. "Because someone was always there with me. Always someone's hand to hold." Gibbs took her hands in his as he searched her face. She looked into his eyes. "Will you stay with me?" she pleaded. There was only a moment of hesitation before he nodded, and he shifted where he sat; turning to sit up against the head board next to her.

Abby scooted down into the covers, relieved to have him there next to her. As she laid there on her side, she looked up at him, "Are you gonna sleep like that?" she asked. He glanced down at her, smirking a bit as he felt a blush rise on his cheeks. He was grateful it was dark enough for her not to see it.

"You're expecting me to sleep here?" he asked.

"Well, I certainly don't think you should sit up awake all night, Gibbs. You've gotta work in the morning." She patted the mattress in front of her, "C'mon. I promise I won't bite," she gave him a small smile. He cocked his head, scratching his cheek as he swallowed, but gave in and scooted down to lay; his head resting on the pillow next to hers.

Gibbs rested his hands on his stomach as he settled. Oddly enough, he was completely at ease. Though part of him wanted to roll over onto his side to face Abby, he settled on simply not turning away.

"Gibbs?" he heard her whisper, and he turned his head to look at her. "Thanks," she smiled, then shifted her head cozily into the pillow and closed her eyes.

"G'night, Abs."

* * *

Once again, Gibbs was pulled from his sleep by Abby's crying. He rolled onto his side to face her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, hoping to calm her without having to wake her again. Her hands shakily went out in front of her, falling gently on his chest. And she moved closer to him, ducking her head under his chin.

In a sleepy daze, his arm went around her, and his eyes drifted closed as she quieted. Her steady breathing lulled him back to sleep. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so comfortable with anyone...

* * *

**It's ridiculous that it took the entire day to get this out. But there it is! I should have the next chapter up tomorrow :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**I've gotta say it again; all the awesome reviews are giving me early morning smiles over my steamy cup of coffee :) You are all awesome and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for letting me know you like the story! Special shout out to Sparkiebunny, ncischick09, STLFAN, gsr4ever, lareinaSelena, Azilee, jgomez921, betherzz, cutiezipie, ncisfan89, and hockeymom! For more recent reviews/comments, I thank you all so much:)**

* * *

Tony cracked open his eyes as the morning light insisted upon shining directly onto his face. He groaned his disapproval, attempting to roll over and go back to sleep. But as soon as he started to move, a fiery pain forced his eyes all the way open. The realization that he'd slept on the wrong side panicked him. There was only one thing to do; roll quickly off of the bed and hope to God that the pain wouldn't last too long.

*~.~*

Ziva sat on the couch in the living room, thumbing through one of Tony's magazines. She had been up for a while; went for a run, came home and took a shower and was dressed for work. But she wasn't going to leave without giving Tony a piece of her mind when he woke up.

Embarrassment crept onto her cheeks as she recalled what Tony had told Gibbs. It made her angry. No. It terrified her... She didn't want to leave NCIS. She loved Tony, but she loved them all. They were her family. She didn't want to be forced to leave them.

A struggled yelp came from the bedroom, followed by a thump and a throaty cry. All feeling of anger left her as she rushed into the room and saw Tony kneeling on the floor, his forehead mashed against the edge of the mattress and hands gripping the sheets.

"What happened?" Ziva said as she went to his side.

"Slept on...wrong side," he squeaked out. Her hand came up to his head, lightly petting him as his face turned to her.

"You are hot," she said with a worried look on her face; her hand going to his clammy forehead. He forced a grin.

"That's what they all say," he smirked. She squinted at him, attempting to ignore the comment.

"You need a pain killer," she stood.

"No," he yelped. And then he remembered... "Oh god..." he swallowed and she knelt back down beside him.

"What?" her hand went to his arm.

"I told Gibbs..." his eyes darted nervously around.

"It is okay, Tony," she petted his face. He met her eyes.

"You were pretty pissed last night," he furrowed a brow.

"I am glad you remember, so I do not have to yell again," she smirked.

"I'm sorry, Zi," he attempted to move from his position, but yelped again from the pain.

"Let me get you the pain kill-"

"No!" he yelped again. "I don't want those in my system again."

"You are in pain! You need them!"

"Just give me a cold pack or something. I'll live."

"Tony-"

"If I hadn't taken them last night, I wouldn't have been retarded enough to sleep on that side," he turned to her again. She considered him for a moment.

"At least let me help you to the couch," she said as she stood. Hesitantly, he began to pull himself up, holding his breath as his did. He stood there for a moment, holding himself up on the mattress; his eyes closed as he breathed. Ziva reached out and gently took his arm.

"Just gimme a sec," he said. She was definitely worried now. She reached down to the hem of his shirt and gently began to pull it up, with no resistance from him. A sharp intake of breath made him open his eyes and look at her. "That bad?" he asked and she met his eyes. He looked down at his side. A sickly purplish yellow painted not far below his armpit, all the way to the bottom of his ribcage and around toward the front of his chest. "Doc said that'd happen if I didn't ice it," he gave a small smile.

"And you did not listen!" she said with a mixture of pity and aggravation.

"What can I say? I'm a stubborn asshole." He moved to follow her to the living room.

"I will call Gibbs and tell him I need to stay home."

"What? No, Ziva. It's a couple of bruised ribs...and maybe some bruised pride. I wanna go in, but I'm afraid I'll slow everyone down. Hurts more today."

"Which is why I should stay," she argued.

"Listen," he took her shoulders, "If I need you, I'll call," he squinted as he searched her eyes. "If you give me my phone back, that is," his smirked. Her features softened, and he leaned in to give her a kiss. She smiled at him, gently pulling away and heading for the kitchen.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

"Not right now," he said as he carefully sat himself onto the couch.

"Well," she brought in the cold pack from the freezer, "If you feel like you need to take a pill, please eat something with it. And if you feel like you cannot resist making a phone call, please only call me," she raised her brow as she sat down beside him, gently placing the cold against his side. He smiled, taking hold of the ice pack so she could release it. "And I picked up a handful of your movies. They are next to the television...I figured you might get bored."

"Have I told you how much I love you?" his grinned as his free hand went to her cheek.

"A few times," she grinned back, then leaned forward to kiss him again. "I love you, too," she said. "I need to leave if I want to get there on time...unless you have changed your mind?"

"I'm slightly torn at the moment," he smirked, "But no...you go. I'll be fine," he laid himself back on the couch.

* * *

Abby woke up to the familiar scent of Gibbs. A grin grew on her face when she realized she was curled into his chest, and his arm was snug around her back. She could tell he was sleeping still. Not wanting to wake him, she gently pulled away; moving his arm and gently setting it down on the mattress between them.

She looked at his face before sitting up. In that moment, she wanted to tell him something...even if he wasn't awake. She wanted to say it. So she opened her mouth to begin, but her voice came as a whisper. She swallowed and attempted to clear her throat, and tried it again...nothing.

Suddenly, Abby began to panic. This past week, her voice seemed to have improved to some level. True, it was broken and squeaky and barely perceptible to anyone who hadn't been there to see her improvement. But it had been there...and now it wasn't.

Abby swung her legs off of the bed and faced away from the man who remained sleeping. She picked up the glass of water from the nightstand and guzzled it down in hopes it might help. But she attempted to speak again, with the same result.

Though she wasn't terribly devastated, she felt tears form in her eyes. It was as if fate had teased her with the hope that everything would eventually get back to normal, then ripped it away from her in an instant.

Abby suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, and realized she'd woken Gibbs. "What's wrong, Abs?" he asked as he moved to sit beside her. She opened her mouth, but quickly shut it again, and turned to sign.

_"It's gone," _she signed.

"What?"

_"My voice is gone again..." _ her hands went to cover her face, attempting to hide her oncoming tears.

"It's probably just temporary," Gibbs told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "You did a lot of talking yesterday. You haven't healed all the way, and probably shouldn't tempt fate." She sniffled and swiped away the tears on her face, wiping them on her shirt before signing again.

_"What if I made it worse, and it never comes back?" _

"I'm not a doctor, Abby, but I can't imagine that would be the case."

_"I hope you're right," _she signed after a moment. _"Can I come to work today?" _she turned to him.

_"You sure that's a good idea?" _he signed.

_"Tony isn't going in, and you can't spare two agents. And I need to go back to work, Gibbs. I need to keep my mind busy and I can't do that here. Plus, then I'm close by, and you don't have to worry about having someone here." _Her attempt to convince him was actually working. So she decided to add in some puppy-dog eyes.

Gibbs smirked and shook his head. "Alright," he said, "But you'll have to work with the temp they've got in the lab right now. They promised her another week of work." Though her face showed thorough aggravation, she agreed to accept the terms.

* * *

"Abby, this is..." Gibbs froze in the lab, trying to remember the temp's name. The smiling brunette stepped forward to extend a hand to Abby.

"Tessa," she finished for him. "Tessa Willard. It's such a pleasure to meet you, Ms Sciuto. I read so many of your articles while I was in school. I think you're brilliant!" Abby's face turned from annoyed, to slightly amused.

"Ms Willard-" Gibbs started.

"Please, call me Tessa," she interrupted. He cocked his head.

"Abby is under strict orders not to use her voice," he squinted. "So anything you need to ask her, make sure she has something to write on."

"Oh! Well, I know a little sign language," Tessa said. Gibbs and Abby simultaneously raised their brows. "I heard you knew it well. I'm not that great, but I can usually pick up most of what's being signed." Gibbs nodded.

"Okay...well, I'll leave you two to your work," he said as he started out. "Call me if you need anything." As he left, Abby turned back to Tessa.

_"I usually work alone," _she signed slowly for her.

"Oh...I know," Tessa replied. "I promise not to get in your way."

_"You won't...I mean, don't worry about it. You seem okay to me."_

"Thanks," Tessa smiled big. Abby gave a small grin.

_"I like to listen to music while I work. Do you like heavy metal?"_ Tessa seemed to shy away.

"I...kinda put something else in the cd player," she said. "It's not exactly...your kind of music. I like score soundtracks. It inspires me," she smiled. Abby seemed a bit anxious.

_"From what movie?"_

"The Matrix," she shrugged, possibly a bit embarrassed. But Abby grinned.

_"Have you met Tony?"_

"He's come down a couple of times, but he leaves right away."

_"I think he'd stay if that was playing when he came down." _

"If he stays, it'll be because you're back," she turned and started to walk toward the office. Abby couldn't really holler after her, so she shrugged and went over to her computer. She was relieved that nothing had been changed or messed with. _This chick just might be tolerable,_ she thought. And the music came on...

* * *

"How's Tony?" McGee asked Ziva after several minutes of silence after she'd come in. She looked up at him.

"He is okay, I think," she gave him a small smile. "I checked in on him this morning, and he was in some pain. But he wanted to come into work. Gibbs would not let him."

"He was here yesterday after the accident..." McGee furrowed a brow. "Did something happen?"

"Sometimes it hurts more the next day, yes?" she squinted. McGee nodded. "And he had not eaten, and took one too many pain killers. He fell asleep on Gibbs' couch while watching Abby last night."

"Oh," Tim replied, a small smile playing on his lips. "So he's watching Abby this morning?"

"No," Gibbs walked into the bullpen. "Abby's here."

"What?" McGee turned to his boss, and Gibbs looked at him.

"She wanted to come back to work," he told him.

"She must be feeling better?" he gave a small smile. But he became worried when his boss looked down at the keyboard. "Maybe I'll go say hello..." he began to stand from his desk, and Gibbs caught his eye.

"She lost her voice again, McGee," he told him. McGee slowly sat back down as his boss spoke. "So if you go down there, you better be prepared not to show any disappointment."

"Disappointment?" he squinted. "Boss, I'm not disappointed in her. I think it's horrible, yeah...but..."

"Is it temporary?" Ziva asked and they both looked at her.

"I'm not a doctor, Ziva," Gibbs replied.

"Maybe she should talk to Ducky?"

"She doesn't wanna think about it. That's why she's here." They all sat in silence for a moment, until Ziva's cell rang. After glancing at the caller ID, she glanced a worried look at Gibbs before answering.

"Tony?" she answered.

_"Hey,"_ he sounded out of breath, _"Hey, Zi...just wanted to let you know, I gotta take one of the pain killers..."_

"Are you okay?"

_"Just can't get comfortable and it's drivin' me nuts. Just wanted to tell you...in case I call later."_

"Do you need me to come back?"

_"No. No, really, Zi, I'm okay. Promise."_

"Please eat something this time."

_"'kay," _he replied simply.

"Keep your phone with you and call me if you need anything, okay?"

_"Sure. Talk to you later, Zi. Love you." _Ziva was quick to end the call before she could reply. But she quickly sent a text saying she loved him too, before putting her phone down again.

"Everything okay?" Gibbs asked her.

"Tony was trying to avoid taking the pain killers," she sighed. "But he says he needs to take one."

"Doctor wouldn't have given them to him if he didn't need them," he told her.

"I know," she replied and looked down at her desk, "I am just worried that he is not properly taking care of himself. He was supposed to use a cold compress, but did not. And now he has a sickly bruise all over the left side of his torso." Gibbs nodded in understanding, but recognized the look of guilt on her face she was trying to hide from them. Then he recalled that he was supposed to have a talk with her about what Tony had told him the night before. Though initially, he was going to try and avoid it altogether, it seemed like the right time to discuss it.

Gibbs stood up and walked around his desk. "My office," he said in a low voice as he passed her desk. She gave a quick glance to McGee, who seemed a bit worried, then stood to follow Gibbs into the elevator.

He hit the button that would take him down to autopsy, but as the elevator began to move, he hit the emergency switch, and they were brought to a halt. Ziva's heart quickened as the emergency lights kicked on. She knew what was coming, and she was afraid.

"First of all, you need to quit thinkin' it was your fault what happened to Tony," he said as he faced her. "And second..." he wasn't exactly sure how to approach the subject. In fact, he hadn't even begun to allow himself to think about it. The silence was deafening to her.

"We talked about what you told him," she offered. "And we will keep it out of the work place. I promise you." He sighed deeply, then turned to hit the emergency switch; the elevator coming to life as it continued.

"Be patient with him, Ziver," he said. "He's stubborn..."

"Like the best of them," she added, confidently, and he smirked.

"He loves you." She gave him a surprised look. "Wouldn't have admitted that to _me_ if it weren't true."

"I love _him_, too," she said softly.

"I know," he nodded. "Just don't wanna see either one of ya get hurt. I think if you're patient with each other, it'll be okay." She said nothing as the doors opened and he walked out. But as the doors began to close in front of her, she called his name and stuck out and arm to make them open again, and the sound made him turn back to look at her.

"Thank you," she told him. He gave her a small smile before heading through the glass doors into autopsy.

"Good morning, Jethro," Doctor Mallard said when he saw the agent approach him. "I suppose you're down here for the results of Mr. Sampson's autopsy."

"That's one reason," he said.

"Well," he began as he went to one of the refrigerated drawers, "To begin, I feel I should warn you as to the manner in which he decided to end his life," he told his friend.

"It was a suicide?" Gibbs was surprised.

"Indeed. However, I do believe that the detectives you incarcerated had a heavy hand in making it possible."

"What do ya mean?"

"Mr. Sampson slit his own throat," he told him; his hand on the handle of the drawer, ready to pull it open. Gibbs squinted. "While you wouldn't think it difficult to smuggle a piece of a wire coat hanger into a jail cell, I'm almost certain they brought it to him."

"What makes you think they didn't kill him themselves?" Gibbs asked, and Ducky pulled open the door and slid the bed out to reveal Sampson's body.

"The angle in which his throat was cut," he began, "And this other seemingly unnoticeable cut beneath it," he pointed out the scrape that was perfectly parallel to the slit across his throat, "At first, I thought it might have been an initial failed attempt. But upon closer examination, I discovered blood and skin cells under his right thumbnail," he picked up the hand to show him. Then set it down when Gibbs' eyes met back with his. "He held the sharp bit of hanger like this," he indicated with his hand at his own throat, "His thumbnail scraping the skin with the amount of pressure he placed on the metal against his neck."

"Why would they make him kill himself instead of killing him themselves?"

"Perhaps it was easier and more satisfying to let him do it himself. And perhaps he was more than willing to end his own life."

"Because he was the reason his mother ended hers."

"And maybe...it was a type of atonement for what he did to Abigail," his suggestion caused Gibbs to think. And after a moment of silence, Ducky pushed the bed back in and shut the door. "You said this was one reason you came down here. What else did you need?" he began to walk toward his desk.

"Abby wanted to come in to work today," he turned toward his friend as he spoke. "When she woke up this morning, her voice was gone again." Ducky halted in his tracks; his face loosened and his brow furrowed. Then he turned back to face Gibbs.

"That...is surprising," he said with a disappointed look on his face. "How is she handling it?"

"How do ya think, Duck?" he wasn't trying to sound angry.

"I'm trying to understand why this would happen...was she in pain? Perhaps some kind of infection has set in..."

"Didn't say she was in pain," he looked down as he thought. "But she did have a nightmare last night. Made her pretty upset. She said she could feel him cutting her again."

"Poor dear...she should see a counselor."

"She can't talk, Duck, how's she supposed to do that?"

"I know you're frustrated, Jethro, but what Abigail needs right now is a professional to help her deal with the psychological affects of her ordeal."

"_You_ are a professional, Duck."

"She would have to choose to talk to me, Jethro. Not to mention, I don't have the ability to communicate fluently with her like you can."

"You tellin' me _I_ should talk to her? Ducky, I don't think I need to tell ya that I'm not a professional counselor."

"I'm suggesting that maybe we could talk to her together. But only if she wants to. We can't force her. But she trusts you. And I'd like to think she trusts me too."

"She does," he told him.

"But that doesn't mean she's ready to talk. Mention it to her. See how she reacts."

"Should she get her throat checked out?" Gibbs asked.

"Maybe I can take a look, if she would like. I could do a culture...if she has some kind of infection, I'll find it." Gibbs nodded. Doctor Mallard watched his friend as he looked down to the floor. Although they'd seemed to somewhat come to a resolution in the matter, he still seemed preoccupied. "Is something else bothering you?" Gibbs looked back up at him.

"DiNozzo's in a lot of pain from the accident. Guess I can't help but worry about him. Ziva seems to continue to blame herself regardless what we say to her."

"Ziva will be okay. She's a strong woman. And as he gets better, she will too. Do you want me to go check on him? I haven't got another autopsy today...unless something changes."

"I think he might be okay. Called to tell Ziva he was takin' a pain killer a little while ago."

"Did he? That's a bit odd..."

"Why is that odd?" Gibbs squinted, but then he realized what he'd just implied, and tried to straighten his composure. Ducky noticed this immediately.

"What are you hiding in that mind of yours?" he asked with a hint of curiosity. Gibbs cocked his head.

"Can't tell ya, Ducky. 'Cause I'm supposed to pretend I don't know," he started to make his way toward the doors. Ducky made a small laugh through his nose.

"Well, when you come to any conclusions, about Abby or Anthony, don't hesitate to call and let me know."

* * *

**heh. Well I went to see alice for the second time tonight. And still managed to push out another chapter! I'll continue writing tonight, and have another chapter out tomorrow—hopefully earlier then normal this time. Lemme know if you like where it's going...although I feel like not much developed in this chapter. Next chapter should have some good turning points :)**


	15. Chapter 15

Tony stood in the shower with the coldest water he could tolerate beating down on him. It was soothing to his sore ribcage, especially since the icepack had thawed and become useless... Once he felt the pain killer kick in, he turned off the water and climbed out of the tub. Grabbing a towel and going into the bedroom, he grabbed a tee shirt and boxers and threw them on his mostly dried body, then made his way to the couch.

On the coffee table, sat a couple pieces of toast and a cup of coffee he'd intended on having with the pain killer, via Ziva's orders. But he hadn't been able to stomach it. The nausea was too great at that point. But he got an A for effort. Now that the medicine was starting to work, he decided to chance the toast. Clicking on the TV, he took small bites of the cold, stale bread.

Tony flipped through the channels, not finding anything particularly interesting. Having finished just about every morsel of the bland toast, he picked up his phone and texted Ziva, letting her know he'd eaten. But as soon as the message was sent, he felt a sudden wave of nausea. He sat there for a moment, in attempt to breathe through it. But he felt the heated shot of saliva under his tongue; a tell-tale sign of the inevitable, and took off for the bathroom.

As he heaved the barely digested toast and coffee, the pain returned full-force on his ribcage. Squeaking between each heave, he prayed for it to end. After what seemed forever, it finally stopped, and he sat down, turning to lean against the wall and breathe through the pain.

When it didn't ease up, he decided to try to stand up and return to the living room, but upon his attempt, he fell back the the ground on all fours, and crawled to the other room instead. Tony found the bottle of painkillers and took one out, popped it into his mouth and chewed it, grimacing at the bitter taste, which, decidedly, was less nauseating then the episode in the bathroom.

Tony pulled himself up onto the couch and reached for his phone. He held it in his hands, but didn't dial. He didn't know what he'd say if he did. So he simply kept it in his hands, and laid down on his good side, curling slightly into a ball as he waited for the pain to subside. And he drifted off to sleep...

* * *

"Grab your gear," Gibbs said as he entered the bullpen, going straight for his desk to grab his things, "We've got a dead Marine." The agents quickly followed his lead to the elevator.

*~.~*

Gibbs was slightly aggravated at the sudden case. He didn't feel like he had time to deal with yet another problem. And he especially wanted Ducky to have time to deal with Abby, but he was needed here.

He watched Ducky as he examined the body; no apparent signs of cause of death. The liver probe indicated that he'd been dead at least twenty-four hours before someone had discovered him in his home.

Really there was nothing to investigate, outside of the autopsy... no sign of struggle and no apparent witnesses. Until Ducky could find the cause of death, they had no leads and nothing to go on. So after pictures were taken, and the body was loaded into the ME van, they headed back to the office in Gibbs' car.

The conversation was small and uneventful. Each agent's mind preoccupied with some other thought. Silence enveloped the car until it was abruptly broken by Ziva's cell phone chirping. Gibbs turned to her when she answered, "Tony, how are you feeling?"

_"Hey, Zi...I'm feelin' okay right now."_

"Did you eat?" she asked.

_"Yeah," _he told her, and she felt a bit relieved. _"But I threw up."_

"I think we should take you back to the hospital," she said, and Gibbs glanced over at her again with a furrowed brow. McGee worried equally in the back seat as he listened to the conversation.

_"No, Zi, I'm okay now. I took another one and slept for a little bit. I feel okay now."_

"If you cannot keep food down, then something is wrong."

_"I think the meds are makin' me nauseous. But I can't skip the meds 'cause it hurts too much without 'em." _Ziva grew silent, not knowing how to respond. _"Zi? Is the boss around you?"_

"Yes," she replied.

_"Can I talk to him?"_

"I am not certain that is a good idea, Tony," she said, glancing over at Gibbs.

_"C'mon, Zi. It's not about you...I promise." _She sighed.

"Hold on," she told him, pulling the phone down and covering the mic with her hand. "He wants to talk to you," she told him. Gibbs hesitated before taking the phone.

"Yeah, Tony?" he said. Waiting and listening for a response, he became slightly worried when he heard nothing. He glanced at the phone to see if they'd been disconnected, but the timer was still counting. "DiNozzo? You there?" Still no answer. He turned to Ziva. "He take more of them pills?"

"I know he took one earlier. I'm not sure if he took any more..." Gibbs handed to phone back to her and took a sharp right turn to head toward Tony's place.

"Keep tryin' to get him to answer," he said to her.

"Do you think something's wrong?" McGee asked.

"Think he's a little more out of it then we figured," Gibbs answered. "Call Duck for me and tell him I need him to have Palmer drop him off at Tony's before going back to NCIS."

*~.~*

Screeching to halt in front of DiNozzo's place, all three agents scrambled out of the car to head toward the apartment. Ziva fumbled to find the key before she got to the door, and opened it in record time. Rushing into the living room, Gibbs found him first. He was laying with his face against the back of the couch, curled into a fetal position, and the phone still at his ear.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs made his way toward the couch, noting the tipped over bottle of pills on the coffee table. "Ziva, can you tell how many he took?"

"I will have to count them," she said nervously as she looked at Tony's form.

"Boss, is he okay?" Tim seemed frightened at his partner's position. Gibbs knelt beside the couch, feeling for a pulse and visibly became a bit more relaxed.

"Tony," Gibbs tried to wake him.

"Boss..." Tony's voice was low and mumbling, but he didn't move. In fact, he possibly believed he was still on the phone. "Boss, wanted to tell you...I love you," Gibbs squinted.

"Tony, we're right here," he put a hand on his shoulder and gently shook him.

"Tell Probie I love him too..." he said. "Bye," he let his hand drop from the phone and Gibbs took the cell and turned to Ziva.

"There are three less then what was there last night," she told him.

"How many is he supposed to take?"

"One every six hours or as needed for pain," she read.

"Where the hell is Ducky?" Gibbs asked, and almost immediately, the doctor walked through the door.

"Sorry, Jethro, but the van doesn't have a nitro button," he made his way toward them. "What's happened?"

"He took three times the dosage on the bottle," Gibbs told him. Ziva handed the bottle to him.

"He said he vomited when he tried to force himself to eat," she told him.

"Oxycontin, 10mg. He took three you said?" Gibbs nodded. "Well, it's not life-threatening. But it does explain why he's passed out. Let's move him to the bed, shall we?"

"You should see something," Ziva said, making her way to Tony's side. Gibbs stood out of the way as Ziva pulled up Tony's shirt.

"Oh my god..." McGee's face paled at the sickly bruise that covered Tony's side.

"Yes, it does seem a bit ghastly," Ducky said, "But the doctors took x-rays, and found nothing broken. And they would have seen any internal bleeding if it were present. It's probably very painful, but not life-threatening. If you can move him to the bed, I'll give the hospital a call and see if we can get him on something less potent for the pain, and perhaps some compazine for the nausea."

As Ducky walked out of the room to make the call, Gibbs and McGee moved to Tony's side. "Tony, we gotta get you to the bed," Gibbs said.

"M'kay," Tony groaned, but made no effort to move.

"Gotta get up and help," Gibbs said, "We don't wanna hurt you by having to lift you." Tony groaned again and started to roll over. Gibbs took an arm, as McGee took the other. They helped him to stand, his eyes still closed, and lead him to the bedroom. As they reached the bed, Tony turned toward Gibbs and leaned into him, wrapping his arms around his middle.

"Love you, dad," he said. Gibbs smirked, but felt awkward at the contact. Tim sensed his discomfort and went to pull Tony gently away. Tony's eyes cracked open a bit and looked at McGee. "Probie," he said and hugged him just the same, "You're my best friend, man," Tim couldn't help but grin, partially amused, and partially touched by the sentiment. But he hesitated to return the hug, thinking he might somehow hurt the man. He patted him on his shoulder and gently pushed him off.

"Time for bed, Tony," he said, and helped him to sit on the bed.

"Gotta sleep on my right side," Tony said. Gibbs helped him to turn over, and placed the other pillow at his back. McGee gave him a look of question.

"It'll remind him not to roll over," he explained. Ziva was suddenly in the room; her face washed with anxiety.

"I should have stayed here," she said. "He insisted I go to work and that he would be fine."

"He is fine, Ziva. Just took more than he should have," Gibbs told her.

"Which would not have happened had I been here." Before he could respond, Ducky came into the room.

"They're calling some prescriptions in for him," he told them, "Jethro, you're authorized to pick up for him. I think it'd be a good idea if someone stayed here with him until he comes around."

"Ziva, you stay," Gibbs said. "We're gonna head back, but call and let me know how he's doing." She nodded to him, glancing briefly at McGee who was still looking a bit disturbed.

As Ducky and Gibbs left the room, Tim stayed behind; his eyes darting around in the space between himself and Tony. Ziva moved to stand beside him, and he turned to her.

"You don't think he's still beating himself up about what happened, do you?" he asked her, and she seemed confused at first. "I mean...he was pretty upset, even though I told him not to be." Her face relaxed.

"You mean his shooting you, yes?" she clarified. "He has not mentioned it. You think he is purposefully taking too many pills?"

"I don't know..." he looked back down at Tony.

"I think he is in pain," she put a hand on his shoulder, "From being hit by the car. I know he feels bad about what he accidentally did to you, but it is not the reason he has been taking the pills, McGee."

"Do you know that for sure? 'Cause I saw his face when he was at the hospital with me. I'm worried about him... this is all my fault."

"'s not your fault, Probie," Tony murmured from his still form on the bed. "'m just an idiot." Tim's furrowed brow didn't relax. He glanced to Ziva before heading out of the room.

When she heard the front door close, she climbed into bed in front of Tony and laid to face him; her hand coming up to his face gently. His eyes opened slightly to look at her.

"'m sorry, Zi," he slurred.

"Sshh," she hushed him, "Go to sleep, Tony. We will talk later." She waited for his eyes to close again, then went to the freezer to get the ice pack, and went back into the bedroom to place it on his side over his tee-shirt. A small groan escaped him before he stilled again into slumber...

* * *

Gibbs and McGee sat in the car parked in front of the pharmacy after Ducky went inside to retrieve the prescriptions. Tim had been silent the entire trip, Gibbs had thought it was due to Ducky's long-winded speech about past drug-related issued. But McGee remained quiet as he looked out the passenger window in the back seat. Gibbs glanced at him from the rear-view mirror.

"Somethin' botherin' you?" he asked. Tim glanced at his boss's reflection for a moment.

"I'm good, Boss," he said, and resumed his view out the window. "Just thinking." Gibbs knew there were two possibilities of what that could be. But possibly both...as he was probably thinking the same. So he remained silent and allowed himself to think as well. Somehow, neither of them realized when Ducky got back into the car.

The doctor was slightly concerned at the completely distracted agent in the driver's seat. But he was fairly certain he understood what was going on in his friend's head. He cleared his throat to bring him back into reality and Gibbs looked over at him. "Perhaps we can go back to the office and I'll take my car to Anthony's." Gibbs nodded and put the car in reverse.

* * *

**Shorter chapter, I know, but I wanted to put something up before I headed out of the house for an undetermined amount of time :)**


	16. Chapter 16

McGee exited the elevator toward the lab with evidence from the crime scene. As he walked in, he noticed the music wasn't Abby's, and that it wasn't as loud as she'd usually played it. He could see into the office where Tessa was busy at the computer, and Abby stood in front of the evidence table with preliminary samples brought up by Palmer from autopsy.

Abby waved and smiled as he approached her. "Hey, Abby," he gave a small grin as he set the evidence bags down on the clear side of the table top. "Find anything yet?" After he said it, he immediately felt like an idiot. "I mean uh... I know you can't tell me exactly...uh..."

She put a finger in front of his mouth to stop his rambling, and motioned for him to follow her to the computer. She began typing, and when she saw he was looking at her screen, she paused and pointed to the one on the right, which he turned his focus to. A message box opened on the screen.

_Tox screen found Lead hydrogen arsenate in the victim's blood. _McGee read.

"So he was poisoned?"

_Looks like it. It's possible he was accidentally exposed, but seeing as he was home, and his job didn't include any level of exposure to pesticides, I can only assume that's what happened. Ducky will have to do the autopsy first. _McGee nodded.

_ Where is Ducky, by the way? Jimmy said he dropped him off at Tony's. _Tim seemed hesitant to answer, but by the look on Abby's face, he knew he wasn't getting out of there without giving her an explanation.

"Tony's been having some trouble with the pain medication they sent him home with from the hospital," he explained. She squinted at him and cocked her head for more information. "Ducky had them call in something else, and he's dropping it off to him. He should be back soon." She began typing again and McGee looked over at the screen.

_Okay. I'll text you when I have any info on the evidence you brought in. Let me know as soon as Ducky gets here please._

"Okay, Abs," he said. But he didn't turn away from her. After an uncomfortable moment, she turned toward the table and began rummaging through the bags. "You need anything while I'm down here?" he asked. She quickly shook her head. He pursed his lips. "Look, Abby, I'm sorry about..." She turned to him when he paused. "I'm sorry," he said simply. He watched her eyes dart about for a moment before she threw her arms around him in a hug.

His heart sank a bit as he returned the hug. But just as quickly she pulled away and started to rummage through the bags again. Tim gave a small smile that he knew she wouldn't see anyway, then turned to walk out.

* * *

"I picked up a few things on my way back here," Ducky said as Ziva followed him to the kitchen. "A few extra cold compresses, and some saltines and a few other things he might have an easier time keeping down," he set the bags down on the table and reached into his coat pocket to retrieve the new prescriptions. "These should be a bit easier on his stomach," he explained, "But do make sure he takes one of these compazine pills about twenty minutes before the pain killer, just incase."

"Okay, Ducky," she nodded. "How long should I wait to give these to him?"

"Assuming it's been about an hour since he last took anything, I'd hold off until at least seven o'clock. Make him something to eat after he takes the compazine. Then after he finishes eating you can give him the pain killer. If it doesn't help with the pain, give me a call. He could still use the other ones, but he needs to be more careful with the dosage, as I'm sure you're aware."

"Yes. Thank you," she said and looked down. "McGee said something earlier that made me a bit worried," she said.

"What's that?"

"I do not think he is right, but obviously I need to understand if this is a possibility," she looked up at him. "He feels that Tony has been harboring some guilty feelings about shooting him. And he was thinking that maybe...Tony was purposefully taking too much..." Ducky seemed taken back a bit by the notion.

"I've never known Anthony to deal with depression in this manner," he began, "Though I can't dismiss the possibility without speaking to him about it. I wouldn't worry about it just yet, Ziva," he put a hand on her shoulder. "You're here to help monitor what he takes, after all. But you can call me if you feel like that suspicion warrants further investigation." She nodded after giving him a small smile.

* * *

Gibbs looked up as Ducky approached his desk. "How's he doin'?" he asked.

"He was still asleep when I left," he told him. "Mind if I have a word with you?" Gibbs squinted at the familiar look of worry on his friend's face. He stood.

"I'll ride down with you," he said as he headed for the elevator. Ducky made a point not to even glance in Tim's direction. He knew the poor lad probably already felt bad as it was. As they boarded the elevator, he turned to Gibbs and waited for the doors to close to begin talking.

"I hesitate to say this to you, as it's merely a speculation from worried co-workers," he began, "But Timothy and Ziva suspect the possibility that Tony's overindulgence of medication may have been intentional." Gibbs gave him a look of question.

"You mean like he's _trying_ to hurt himself?" his gut churned.

"More like a coping mechanism," he explained. "It's possible that he's in some state of depression after nearly killing his partner. Of course, this is what McGee questioned Ziva about earlier. I think he might be beating _himself_ up a bit as well." Gibbs felt a bit helpless.

"How do I fix this, Duck?" he asked.

"Well, Jethro, I'm not sure there's really anything that needs fixing. Perhaps a simple talk with each of them is in order..." Gibbs scratched at his chin as he recalled an earlier conversation.

"Speakin' of talks, I need to go see Abby. I'll be sure and talk to McGee before the end of the day. I'll get back to you about Abby," he said as the doors opened to Ducky's floor.

"Of course. I'm available any time, Jethro. All you have to do is call."

* * *

Abby picked up her cell as it chirped, indicating she'd received a text. It was from McGee, letting her know Ducky had arrived. She replied with a thank you, and stuck the phone back into her lab coat pocket as she resumed typing at the computer.

"Hey, Abs," she turned when she heard Gibbs' voice.

_"Gibbs, I don't have anything else yet," _she signed as she gave him a grin.

_"Not what I'm here about,"_ he signed. _"Duck thinks we should talk."_

_ "You and me? We do talk, Gibbs."_

_ "You, me and Duck."_

_ "Oh...why?"_

_ "Only if you want to. He thinks it might help." _ There was a considerable amount of silence as he watched her inward grinding of mental gears. _"You know I'm here for you, Abby. But I don't always know what to say. And I want to help you get through this."_ Her focus on him became more clear and he watched her swallow.

_"When?"_

_ "Whenever you're ready. Just have to let me know." _After a moment, she nodded.

* * *

**6:30pm...**

The work day had come to an end. The case would have to wait until tomorrow, as there was way too much going on in their personal lives to let go for much longer. Gibbs waited for McGee to finish packing his things, then stood to walk toward his desk.

"Got a minute?" he asked. Tim looked up at him in question.

"Sure, Boss. What is it?" Gibbs glanced around the room, making sure they didn't have eavesdroppers. Then settled back to Tim.

"You givin' yourself hell about what's goin' on with DiNozzo?" he asked. Tim's eyes darted around in the air between them for a short moment.

"What do you mean?"

"I think you know." Gibbs watched him carefully as his agent looked nervously away.

"I'm just worried about him is all. I told him not to blame himself for what happened. And he said he'd stop, but after what happened today...well, Boss, I don't know what to think." Gibbs considered his words.

"You two keep playin' this cat and mouse guilt game, I don't think there's gonna be any help for either of you," he cocked his head. Tim furrowed his brow at his words. "I'm gonna talk to Tony. I don't think you're right about what you said. But I'm gonna talk to him anyway. So I want you to end the cycle here. That's an order. And if you find it impossible," he squinted, "I want you to come to me."

McGee swallowed, and after a moment he nodded, "Okay, Boss. Thanks..."

* * *

"I did what?" Tony asked Ziva as he sat down on the couch.

"It was a very charming display of affection toward Gibbs and McGee," she said with a devious smile as she brought him a fresh ice pack and sat down beside him.

"I knew I should've made you take the pills with you," he squinted in embarrassment.

"Do not worry, Tony," she said lightly stroking his chest. "They will not give you too hard a time." He gently held the ice pack against his side. "And Ducky called in some different medicines for you to try. One that will also help with the nausea. It is time to take one, and I will make you something to eat." She pushed up from the couch and went to the kitchen to fetch a bottle of water and the compazine, and brought it out to him.

"Thanks," he said, then popped one of the pills into his mouth, washing it down with a swig of water. "Hope it starts working soon. I already feel like I'm gonna be sick." She sat beside him again and stroked his head as he laid it back on the top of the couch.

"I wish there was something more I could do for you," she told him softly. His head rolled to the side to look at her and he grinned.

"Having you here is something," he told her.

"I should not have listened to you. I should have stayed home."

"I told you to go. It's my fault, not yours."

"Can I ask you something without you being offended?" she propped her elbow on the top of the couch and leaned her head against her hand.

"Well, that all depends what you're gonna ask me."

"Do you still feel bad about shooting McGee?" she asked bluntly. He squinted at her in question.

"To some extent, yeah. But I'm workin' on it."

"Were you working on it when you took your pain killers?" She could sense in his face that he was, in fact, taking offense to her questions.

"I took them because I was in pain, Ziva. I told you that."

"I know," her hand went back to stroking his hair, but he flinched away. "Tony...I only asked because McGee was worried. I did not think he was right."

"Then that's what you should've told him."

"Do you not remember the conversation in the bedroom? That is what I told him, and you confirmed it when you said it wasn't his fault."

"Then why are you asking me again?"

"Because I wanted to hear it when you were not on the medicine." There was a long moment of silence as he looked in her eyes. She felt horrible...the look of torment in his eyes was too much to bear.

"You think I would ever be like those people...the person who did what he did to Abby? You think I would put myself in the same situation?"

"Do you think those people set out to be that way? How do you think they start?" she searched his eyes.

"So you _do_ think I have a problem," he laughed, "I've been on these pills for two days, Ziva. And you think I have a problem! Is that what everyone thinks?" If he could move without pain, he'd be halfway across the room by now.

"No, Tony," she defended, trying to calm him down. "We are simply concerned for your well-being. If you say you only took them because you were in pain, then we believe you." Her eyes showed no deception as he searched them. His features seemed to relax a bit. Another long moment of silence passed as she allowed plenty of time for him to question if he needed to.

Eventually his hand sought and held hers. "Sorry I got angry," he said.

"I think I understand why," she told him as her thumb lightly stroked over the top of his hand. "I'm going to make something for dinner. Are you hungry?"

"Starving," he admitted, "Hopefully I can keep it down this time..."

* * *

After dropping Abby off at the house, Gibbs drove toward Tony's. He wasn't exactly sure how to approach the subject, and he pondered what he'd say. Before he even registered the journey, he'd somehow ended up on the doorstep. He softly knocked on the door, and in a short amount of time, Ziva opened the door.

"Gibbs?" she questioned.

"Hey, Ziver. I was checkin' up on Tony. How's he doin'?" he asked, and Ziva stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind her.

"He is eating. He seems to be okay." Gibbs nodded and looked down for a moment.

"McGee's worried about him," he said as he looked back up at her. She straightened. "Told him I'd talk with him."

"I know what McGee was worrying about. I already talked to him, and he was wrong."

"You sure about that?"

"Yes. I am. And he would be...extremely hurt if he knew you suspected him of doing that."

"I didn't suspect him of anything, Ziva. I was just gonna ask him-"

"I did not either. But when I mentioned it...well, you should have seen the hurt in his eyes...I will not permit you to do that to him again." He squinted at her. But instead of a demanding look on her face, he saw more of a plea. And he nodded.

"Well, since I'm here, can I come in and say hello?" After a moment, her face relaxed and she offered a small smile as she opened the door for him.

Tony looked up from his plate at the coffee table. "Hey, Boss," he said after swallowing his mouthful of food.

"How ya feelin'?" Gibbs asked as he walked to the center of the room. Ziva wandered into the kitchen to give them some privacy.

"Slightly embarrassed," he answered with a smirk, "And like I got hit by a car." Gibbs returned the smirk.

"New meds workin' for ya?"

"Well, I'm not nauseous anymore, which is an improvement. But I don't think I'm gonna take anything else," he pushed his salad around the plate with his fork. Gibbs sat down in the chair across from the couch.

"Why not?"

"I woulda thought the answer to that was obvious," he laughed.

"Gotta take somethin', DiNozzo. No reason to live through that kinda pain. Just gotta manage it a little better." Tony looked back down at his plate for a moment. This wasn't the conversation he'd expected from his boss. Although relieved, he was desperate to change the subject.

"How's Abby doing?" he asked, looking back at Gibbs. The look that pasted Gibbs' face at the question had Tony suddenly concerned.

"Tryin' to figure that out."

"What's that mean?" he put his fork down completely and sat back on the couch, wincing slightly at the pain.

"She woke up this morning with her voice gone again," he explained. Tony's eyes began to dart around the air between them as his brow furrowed.

"What...what happened? She was fine yesterday. She was getting better...right? Did something- god did something happen when I fell asleep?" he sat forward in panic and grimaced as he grabbed his chest.

"Calm down, Tony," Gibbs moved from the chair and went to sit next to him on the couch. "She had a nightmare and was pretty upset last night. She might've just aggravated her throat." He grabbed the ice pack from where Tony had set it on the coffee table, and helped Tony to lay back on the couch and handed the pack to him. "Think it's time for one of those pain killers," he said.

As if on cue, Ziva came from the kitchen with a fresh bottle of water and the new bottle of pain pills. She thought it best to show her trust in him by handing him the bottle, instead of taking out the recommended dose for him.

Gibbs stood from the couch and began to walk toward the door. "Leavin' already, Boss?"

"Never leave Abby alone with the boat..."

* * *

**lol. Well it took me like an hour to figure out what Gibbs was gonna say as he left. Needed to be something slightly amusing, then I remembered the ep where Abby was drunk in the basement and broke part of the boat. Hehehe. Anyway, that's it until tomorrow! Hope you enjoyed :)**


	17. Chapter 17

Gibbs and Abby sat in the kitchen after he'd brought back take-out. Gibbs had finished his meal and cleared his plate, sitting back down across from Abby who was taking a bit more time to finish hers. He waited patiently until she gave up and pushed her plate away.

"You done?" he asked, looking down at the half-eaten remains. She nodded.

_"I'm full," _she signed. Hers eyes settled on the table-top.

"Feelin' okay?" he asked with concern. Her eyes shot back up to his and he realized they were glassy. He furrowed his brow.

_"Tired..."_

_ "Then go sleep," _he signed.

_"I don't want to have the nightmare again,"_ she blinked back tears.

_"Want to talk about it?" _Gibbs asked, and watched her eyes wander again. "When did you stop wanting to talk to me, Abs?" he spoke. Abby looked at him again, shaking her head.

_"I do want to talk to you, Gibbs. I'm just not sure I want to bring Ducky into it yet."_

_ "Don't have to, if you think you're not ready. I'm here to listen, Abby." _After a moment, she stood with her plate to take it to the sink, and turned around, leaning up against the counter. Gibbs got up from the table and leaned next to her. He remained silent as he waited for her to begin.

_"If my voice never comes back," _she turned to him, _"You think things will be different?" _He considered her question carefully.

_"Of course things will be different...we'll all miss hearing your voice. But it'll be okay." _ He watched her carefully as her gaze fell away from him for a moment. "Somethin's tellin' me that's not what you're worried about, though," he spoke. When she looked at him again, he signed, _"Wanna talk to me about what is?"_

_ "The nightmare...I know he's dead, Gibbs, but it doesn't stop them from coming. I can deal with seeing it. It's the feeling like it's happening again that has me feeling hinky. I can feel it..."_

_ "I don't know how to make that go away," _he signed, turning to face her. _"I wish I did. This is why I thought Ducky should be here."_

_ "When you stayed with me, I didn't have the dream," _she looked at him. It was more of a request then a statement.

_"You want me to stay with you again, I will," _he almost hesitated. But when she threw her arms around his middle, hugging him in appreciation, the hesitation dissolved. "Just lemme take a shower first, okay?" he kissed her head as she released her grip on him. He noticed she'd already taken one, probably after he'd dropped her off. Her hair was braided in pigtails, but damp and smelled heavenly. "McGee pick up clothes for you?" he asked when he noticed she was in a long black tee-shirt and matching shorts. She nodded.

_"He sent me a text and asked if I needed anything. Had to give him something to do or I think his head might have exploded." _Gibbs smirked at the comment.

"I won't take long," he said as he walked away toward the stairs.

* * *

Abby curled up on top of the covers in the guest bed, leaning up slightly on the head-board as she thumbed through a forensics journal. She'd heard the water turn off in the shower and looked at the clock. It was only nine, but she was exhausted. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt about making Gibbs spend the rest of the night babysitting her.

She looked up when Gibbs lightly knocked on the door before stepping in. _"Hey...I know I asked you to stay in here, but it's really early. I don't want you to give up the rest of your night."_

"Abs, it's not like I have anything else to do tonight," he made his way toward the bed.

_"You have a boat to work on," _she signed, _"And probably a million other things you'd rather be __doing then fending off nightmares." _He smiled at that as he sat down beside her, stretching his legs out in front of him.

_"I don't mind. Really. I'm a little tired anyway."_

_ "See! I kept you up all night last night, didn't I?" _she made an apologetic face, and he shook his head.

_"No, you're fine. I slept...pretty good actually." _She cocked her jaw in disbelief.

_"Then why is Leroy Jethro Gibbs ready to sleep at nine?" _she squinted. He shrugged a shoulder.

_"Been a crazy week," _he started, _"And between worrying about McGee's head, Tony's ribs, and...your...state of mind," _he was trying not to cause her any guilty feelings, but he could see he'd already done it. _"I just want to make sure you're okay, Abby. Doesn't matter what happens with your voice. I know it'll be hard to get used to, but I'm just really glad nothing worse happened. I love you," _he signed, but she had shifted her eyes elsewhere. "Abs, I love you," he spoke, using his hand now to turn her face toward him again.

_ "Love you too, Gibbs," _she gave him a small smile. She didn't understand. And he decided against explaining as she yawned. He shifted down onto his pillow and reached to turn of the lamp.

"G'night," he said, and kissed her cheek before settling his head comfortably. She grinned at him before turning over to shut off the other lamp, tossing the magazine on the nightstand.

Gibbs closed his eyes, but waited until he was sure she was sleeping before he turned toward her on his side. It was only then that he realized she was facing him. He could see her face clearly in the dim room by the light of the moon. And he imagined her voice in his mind; he really did miss it.

He felt his eyes become heavy and allowed them to close. His final drifting thoughts were of his team, and how much he loved them all...and how devastating it would be to lose them. Gibbs shoved that thought aside, hoping for peaceful dreams tonight...

* * *

_Gibbs' eyes cracked open to the morning-lit guest room. The door was cracked open a bit, and remembered Abby was asleep behind him. He carefully turned himself over to face her, and immediately went into a mode of panic at what he saw..._

_ "Abby!" he sat up, horrified at her open, lifeless eyes that stared up at the ceiling; blood soaked through her bandage on her neck, and pooled down into a crimson halo around her shoulders on the mattress under her. His hands shot to either side of her face, "Abby, can you hear me?" he yelled. She didn't respond. His fingers sought out her pulse, finding nothing... "Oh god, Abby...don't do this...don't do this to me..." he scooped her up into his arms, hugging her against his chest. But he couldn't get his legs to work..._

_ He wanted to help her—get her to a hospital...anything. But he couldn't move... "No no no no no..." he cried._

_ "What did you do?!" Gibbs turned to see McGee standing at the foot of the bed, staring at him in disbelief._

_ "Tim, I-"_

_ "You killed her!" he screamed and aimed his gun at his boss. Gibbs couldn't find his voice as his agent's face streaked with tears. "Abby..." his chin quivered._

_ "I don't understand what happened," Gibbs squeaked out. Tim looked at him again...then he pulled the gun's aim from his boss, and pointed the barrel at his own head. "Tim, no!" He dove at the agent, but was too late to stop him..._

_ Suddenly he heard screaming coming from downstairs...Ziva... Without a second thought, he ran from the bedroom, thankful his legs were finally listening to him. Before he could understand what was happening and how, he was in Tony's apartment..._

_ "Ziver..." he stood frozen in place as he saw her in the distance. She was kneeling on the floor; her face buried in her hands as she leaned over a body...one he couldn't see but for the legs. He moved toward her, "What happened? What's going on?" he asked. But as he got to her side, his legs gave out beneath him, and he crumbled to his knees..._

_ On the floor in front of her, lay Tony...his nose and lips blue...his body still and lifeless..._

_ Gibbs didn't think his heart could sink any further into his chest...but it did. He could feel it being torn apart..._

_ He scrambled away, backing up along the floor until he felt something wet and sticky beneath him. He pulled his hand up to discover the blood that now covered his palm and fingers, then looked at the floor... Blood... everywhere... coming from the top of the stairs and spilling down to where he now sat..._

Gibbs sat straight up in his bed in a cold sweat; his chest stung at the rapid pounding of his heart in his chest, and the sudden ability to breathe. He was confused...disoriented...until he felt a hand on his shoulder, causing his head to shoot over to his left where Abby was now sitting up beside him, her eyes filled with concern.

His hands flew to her face as he examined her neck. It had all been a horrible nightmare...the bandages were white and clean. She was breathing. She was alive. He threw his arms around her, hugging her to him. And when he finally caught his breath, he gently pulled away.

"Sorry I woke you," he said, sheepishly.

_"You were crying in your sleep," _she signed and he noticed unshed tears in her eyes.

"I'm okay, Abs," he said. "Just a bad dream..."

_"Contagious,"_ she signed with a hint of an apologetic grin forming on her lips. He put a hand on the back of her head and kissed her forehead. He glanced at the alarm clock, which read eleven thirty-eight.

"Go back to sleep," he told her, then shifted off of the bed. "I need to check on somethin'" Gibbs left the room and descended the staircase; the one that had been covered in blood in his dream... and he retrieved his phone from where he left it on the coffee table.

* * *

McGee stared at his typewriter, writer's block pretty well set in. Though he'd had a million different ideas in his head, he couldn't settle on one specifically to begin with. And at any point he thought he might begin, his mind began to wander over to his teammates.

Abby...he sighed deeply. He was worried about her, regardless of how well she seemed to be dealing with everything. And Tony...he wasn't sure whether he'd been right or not, but then again, it didn't seem to make much sense that Tony would still feel so bad about what had happened, especially since everything was okay now.

Tim shook his head in attempt to dismiss his wandering thoughts and return to the blank paper in front of him. His fingers settled on the keys, and he had a split second of clarity of what he'd wanted to type, when suddenly his cell phone rang. Thought dismissed, he looked at the caller ID.

"Boss?"

_"Hey, McGee," _Gibbs said on the other line. Tim could sense something 'off' in his boss's voice.

"Y-you okay, Boss?" he asked, concerned.

_"Yeah. I wake you up?"_

"Uh, no. No, I'm still up working on...something."

_"Good. Just wanted to let you know DiNozzo didn't purposefully take too much. I was gonna call you earlier, but it slipped my mind."_

"Oh, okay. Well, thanks for letting me know," there was silence on both lines for a moment. "So, uh...everything okay with Abby?" he asked.

_"Yeah, she's sleepin'. Doin' pretty good, I think. Anyway, sorry to bother ya. You have a good night."_

"You too, Boss," he said and listened as the other line disconnected. "Strange," he said to himself. The phone call seemed out of the ordinary...for Gibbs anyway. But the small amount of news he'd given him had suddenly eased his mind a great deal, and he felt like a floodgate of ideas had opened up as he began typing away...

* * *

"Gibbs?" Ziva answered after the third ring.

_"Hey, did I wake you?" _Gibbs suddenly felt he was being ridiculous by allowing his nightmare to render him helplessly worried about his team.

"I was just dozing off, but it is okay. What is wrong?" she asked as she sensed the urgency in his voice.

_"Ah...nothing exactly. Just checkin' in on you and Tony. He doin' okay?"_

"Yes. He is doing a bit better, I think. He is sleeping."

_"Good...good."_ Silence.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "You sound upset..."

_"Do I?... No, I was just checkin' in, Ziva. Sorry to get you outta bed. I'll see ya tomorrow."_

As the other line disconnected, she slowly set the phone back down on the coffee table.

"Everything okay?" she looked up to see that Tony had come to the doorway from the bedroom.

"Yes," she said, giving him a small smile and standing to follow him back into the bedroom. But he caught her by the hips and gently spun her to face him.

"You sure?" he searched her eyes. The corner of her mouth turned up at him.

"You are feeling better," she said, noticing a slight bulge in the front of his pajama pants as he purposefully pressed against her.

"Maybe a little," he grinned, "I could go for a little more tlc, I think." She leaned forward to kiss him.

* * *

Gibbs had sat down on the couch when he'd called Ziva. And now he set his phone down on the coffee table in front of him and allowed his tired head to fall into his hands. He didn't even hear Abby come down the stairs and sit in front of him on the coffee table.

It wasn't until he felt her hands on his that he looked up. "Abs, I told you to go back to sleep," he said as tried to remove the emotion from his face. She shook her head and shifted to sit next to him on the couch.

_"You had a nightmare. I told you about mine, so you should tell me about yours," _she signed. He shook his head.

"You don't even wanna know," he said. She cocked her jaw.

_"That's not fair," _she squinted as she signed.

"Not really a game, Abby," he replied. But seeing the hurt look on her face caused him to furrow a brow. "Tell ya in the morning, when it won't seem so terrifying. No sense in both of us being up all night." She settled for his words, then snuggled back into the couch, bringing him with her, and laid her head on his shoulder as he instinctively put an arm around her shoulders.

Eventually, his head rested against hers and he drifted off to sleep again...

* * *

**I'm ending this chapter here purposely, for the sakes of my readers who are NOT fans of Gabby. So the next chapter will be pure Gabby goodness, and those of you who would rather not see it can skip it altogether lol ;)**


	18. Chapter 18

**This is your final warning, Anti-gabby readers! Lol! **

**BTW—thanks so much all of you for your kind reviews:) ill put names up before my next chapter—but I figured i'd hold off till then since some of you wont read this chap hehehe**

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Gibbs was pulled from his slumber by a not unwelcome weight on him. He realized he'd fallen asleep on the couch, and at some point in the night, had shifted to lay down on his back. What surprised him, however, was that Abby was still with him; her body more than half-draped over his.

As he became more lucid, he realized his arms were around her, keeping her on top of him. The position caused images to flood into his mind that he desperately tried to push away. But they stayed, and he could feel his heart begin to beat faster in his chest. He swallowed; tried to summon his Marine training to keep his breathing under control and remain undiscovered.

But when she stirred slightly over him, his body betrayed him, and he felt himself harden under her. He clamped his eyes shut, trying to will the lustful thoughts away. Then he felt her hips purposely grind against his erection and he sucked in a breath through his nose as his hips involuntarily thrust up against her.

Gibbs' eyes flew open to see her face close to his; his breathing no longer controlled. Abby was looking straight at him with clear intention and desire. As her face drew nearer, all thoughts of trying to stop her had vanished. Her mouth crushed down onto his, and his hands splayed across her back as he returned her passion with his own.

He couldn't believe this was happening...must be another dream...but if it was, he didn't wanna wake up just yet. "Abby..." he said against her mouth. She ground against him again and caused a guttural moan to escaped his throat. "Abby, I need you to know..." Abby pulled her face away slightly to look at him. "I love you. I'm in love with you, Abs...been tryin' to tell you that..."

She searched his eyes and smiled at him before crushing her lips to his again. Gibbs felt her hands moving on his chest, caressing him. His own hands moved down her back, past her shirt and down under the fabric of her shorts to cup her bottom and pressed her against him again, thrusting against her. She moaned...she moaned!

They froze as their faces pulled apart and he looked at her in surprise. "Your voice?" he asked.

"Gibbs..." it was broken and weak, but it was there. Tears formed in her eyes, "I love you, too. I meant it in every way you did. I was just waiting till I could say it," she kissed him again.

His heart skipped, and he felt an overwhelming feeling of happiness. One he hadn't felt in a very long time. His hands went lower still under her shorts, feeling the wetness through her panties, and he groaned again as his hips thrust up against her. "Abs..." he pulled away slightly, "We shouldn't do this..."

"What?" she furrowed a brow.

"I don't wanna hurt your voice..." he said, and slowly, her lips turned into a smile. And her mouth went to his ear.

"I always figured you would make me scream," she whispered, and his eyes closed as his hips betrayed him again by thrusting against her. "But I can be quiet if I try..." and she nipped lightly at his earlobe. His hands moved up into the back of her shirt, relishing in the feel of her warm skin under his fingers as her lips moved down his jawline.

And suddenly she was pulling away, standing up from the couch, and he stood with her; their eyes meeting again. He held her face as he kissed her again; noticing she was lowering her shorts and allowed them to drop to the floor. He felt her tugging at the hem of his shirt in attempt to pull it off of him. Gibbs pulled his face from hers so she could lift it over his head, then watched her as she took off her own shirt.

He stood there admiring her naked form. Abby's hands went to his chest, and his went to her hips as she resumed the kiss. He shuddered as he felt her hands travel down to the top of his pajama pants and begin to tug them down. As his erection sprang free, her hand grasped it and began to stroke him. Gibbs pulled out of the kiss, resting his forehead against hers as he looked down between them. The sight of her black-polish fingernails on her porcelain fingers, stroking up and down his shaft, was intoxicating.

"God Abby..." he breathed. And then he felt himself being pushed to sit on the couch, and her hand released him. He swallowed as she moved to straddle him; looking into her eyes as her face, once again, came closer to him. "You sure you wanna do this?" he asked in a low voice. She squinted at him in question. "I've been told I'm a bastard," he smirked. She grinned.

"I know who you are," she told him.

"And you still wanna be with me? I don't wanna break your heart, Abs," he furrowed his brow. She bit down on her lower lip.

"You won't," she said as she leaned closer, "Because I won't give up on you...ever." Gibbs' eyes darted back and forth between hers. He realized in that moment that she really _did_ know him. And he closed the small space between them to kiss her again.

He felt her shift over him as her hand, once again, grasped his erection and guided it to her entrance. They groaned in unison as he entered her fully, pressing up off of the couch. Abby began to ride him in a steady rhythm. It hadn't been an extremely long time since she'd been with someone, but this felt completely new...like she'd never really been with anyone this way...never been so in love with someone...

She was amazed at how quickly her orgasm began, trying desperately to refrain from shouting with her release, she bit down on his shoulder as she came. Gibbs helped her ride out her release until he felt her relax a bit. Then he maneuvered them so that she was laying on her back and he was nestled between her legs on top of her.

He entered her again, eliciting another moan from her. His mouth crushed back down onto hers. She realized then that he wasn't moving; he was inside her, but held perfectly still, besides his intense kisses. "Gibbs," she breathed when she had the chance, and he pulled his face away slightly to look at her. She rolled her hips up at him and he tensed.

"Wait, Abs," he told her. "Just...wait a minute..." By the way his breath hitched, she could tell he was close. She decided something in that moment, and she took his face in her hands. He looked into her eyes and felt her leg bend up and around his back as she pressed up against him again. "Abby," he warned. She bit lightly down on her lower lip again as she smiled. She nudged him with her foot, and he couldn't hold back any longer.

Frantically, he reached down between them, finding her clit with two fingers and rubbing in circles as he began to pound into her. He was so close...and he didn't want to go over the edge without her. His head ducked next to hers. She could tell he was holding back, but she wanted to hear him...wanted him to go over the edge she could feel herself coming to again.

"Come with me, Gibbs," she said in his ear. Her hot breath and words were all it took...

"Oh...god...Abby..." he felt himself swell and spill into her with alarming force, causing him to literally see silver specks of stars at the sensation. And as he came, he felt her once again spasm around him, squeezing everything from him.

Exhausted, he collapsed on top of her, trying not to crush her in the process. After a few breaths, he attempted to push away so she could breathe. "No," she said as she held him to her. "Stay for a minute."

"I'm crushing you."

"I like it," she smiled. He returned the smile and kissed her again...

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**Alright...it is now safe for the anti-gabby's to return ;)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Shout outs: Sparkiebunny, ncisfan89, rachelahavah, Betherzz, gsr4evr, lareinaSelena, Merlyn the wizard, Azilee. STLFAN, Britmum, Cutezipie, jaime61, Foundgirl88, ncischick09, and jgomez921!**

**Thank you for your continued support:)**

* * *

**Three days later...**

Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo stepped out of the elevator and into the bullpen with his backpack on his right shoulder.

"Hey, Tony," McGee smirked in his direction from his desk, "Welcome back."

"Ya miss me, Probie?" he grinned as he set his pack down next to his desk.

"I-if by 'miss you', you mean 'enjoy not having random projectiles thrown in my direction', then yes," he turned his gaze back to the computer screen in front of him. Tony squinted at him as he sat down.

"Ziva," he said, turning his gaze to her as she looked up from her desk, "I thought I specifically told you to throw random projectiles at McGee in my absence."

"I did not think you were serious, Tony," she smirked. "Besides, we had a lot of work to finish up while you were out."

"Did I miss anything fun?" he asked.

"Just in time, actually," Gibbs said as he entered the back end of the bullpen.

"Got a case, Boss?" Tony asked.

"Two dead Marines."

* * *

"When Gibbs said 'dead'," Tony said as they stood over two unearthed skeletons, "I didn't think he mean _this_ dead."

"Yes," Doctor Mallard said as he crouched down beside Tony and McGee, "Long dead, as it would seem."

"Any idea how long?" Tony asked.

"It's difficult to say before getting them back to autopsy. They were obviously buried, seeing as the bones are all here. If they'd been out in the open, it'd be more than likely that animals would have carried some of them off."

"I don't see a hole anywhere nearby," Palmer noted.

"Gibbs thinks they were moved from wherever they were found," McGee told them.

"Why would someone dig up two skeletons and just drop them out in the open?" Ziva asked no one in particular.

"Someone who wanted them to be found," Tony replied.

"Like a challenge made by whoever killed them?" Tim suggested.

"Or possibly a guilty party atoning for their sins," Ducky guessed. "The dog tags around their necks were cleaned. It would seem that whomever killed them, kept the tags as souvenirs, then placed them with the bodies once they dug them back up."

"We should be able to figure out how long they've been dead by running their names through the system," McGee said. "Should be a missing persons report for each of them."

"Dental records should verify if these bodies are who the tags claim them to be," Jimmy added.

"Any indications of how they might have died, Ducky?" Tony asked.

"Nothing specific that I can tell before getting them back to my cold tables," he replied. "But it seems there are some minor skull fractures," his gloved hand pointed out his findings, "I can't be sure until I have the chance to look more closely."

"Get 'em back to NCIS, Duck," Gibbs said as he approached the team. "You've got everything bagged, tagged and photographed?" he asked his agents.

"Everything's done, Boss," Tony replied for them.

"Good. McGee, I'll need you to help out Willard when we get back," he said as he turned to walk away.

"Sure thing, Boss," Tim replied as he stood.

"Is Abby on sick leave again?" Tony asked as he stood as well.

"Physical therapy," Ducky answered, and Tony looked at him for elaboration. "For her voice. I made the suggestion that she see an Otolaryngologist. He diagnosed her with vocal fold paralysis. An unfortunate consequence of her injury."

"How long has she been going?" he asked.

"She's been there for a few days," McGee told him.

"Been there? You mean, like, staying there?" Tony queried.

"It's a couple hours away," Tim told him. "It was easier for her to just stay there."

"All alone? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"She wanted to do this herself," Ducky explained. "I've spoken with the faculty there on a regular basis since her stay began."

"Is she making any progress?" he asked.

"It's only been three days, Anthony. Do give it some time."

* * *

"Arnold Remmings and Carlton Baxter," Tony said as he held the remote in front of the big screen in the bullpen. Gibbs and Ziva stood by him as he told Gibbs what he'd found so far. "Both Privates reported MIA while on tour in Iraq in March of 08."

"Bodies never recovered," Ziva added, "Until now, of course." Tony pressed a button on the remote, bringing up another picture ID.

"Their team leader, Lieutenant Commander Andrew Carter, died a week ago after being hospitalized from a heart attack," Tony said.

"Anyone on that team still alive?" Gibbs asked. Tony pressed the remote again, revealing two pictured identifications.

"Two lieutenants, Johnathan Chambers, and Kayla McDonnell. Both of them are on leave for Carter's funeral here in D.C.," Ziva told him.

"Bring them in," he told them right as his desk phone rang. He went to his desk to answer. "Yeah, Gibbs." He was silent for a moment as someone spoke on the other line. "Be down in a minute," he hung up. "What are you two waiting for?" he asked the agents who still stood there.

"Well, Boss...we're not exactly sure where they are," Tony replied. "They don't have addresses in the area."

"Then figure out where they're stayin'," he said, and went to the elevator.

* * *

"What do ya got for me, Duck?" Gibbs asked as he entered autopsy.

"Ah, Jethro," Ducky said as he looked back at the agent, "I was just explaining to young Mr. Palmer here, about the distinctive qualities found in some of the soil we found on both remains."

"Distinctive how?"

"Gypsiferous soil, to be exact. And according to my findings, it's not the same soil in which we discovered the bodies. Did you find out anything about these men?"

"They went missing with on duty," he said.

"In Iraq, by any chance?" he asked, and Gibbs squinted and cocked his head. "As I thought. The soil is indigenous to most areas there. I believe they spent the better part of their decomposition underground in that area."

"You match the dental records?"

"I did. And they are whom their identifications say, except that the tags were on the wrong skeletons...which further proves my assumption that the tags were removed then, and replaced recently."

"McGee got the tags in the lab?"

"Along with the soil samples, yes."

"Thanks, Duck," he said as he walked out, and into the elevator to go to the lab.

* * *

"Found a print on one of the tags, Boss," McGee said as Gibbs approached his side at the computer. "Running it now. Also found DNA on both chains, belonging to both victims." As he spoke, the computer beeped. "Looks like we've got a match on the print," he clicked to open the file.

"Lieutenant Commander Andrew Carter," Gibbs read.

"Says he died a week ago," Tim furrowed a brow.

"Of a heart attack. Yeah, DiNozzo had his file open earlier."

"Was he in Iraq with the victims?"

"He was their team leader," he said as he turned to walk out. "Good work, McGee."

* * *

Lieutenant McDonnell sat in interrogation as Tony and Ziva watched her through the mirror in the observation room. "I've gotta say, this is a bit puzzling," Tony said.

"You are admitting to being skunked?" Ziva smirked. He looked at her and squinted.

"I think you mean 'stumped'," he said, "And no...I'm just saying I haven't figured it out exactly just yet."

Their attention was turned back to the interrogation room as Gibbs entered and sat down across from the woman.

"I just received some interesting news," Gibbs said. Just then, McGee entered observation and went to stand between the other agents.

"What news is he talkin' about, Probie?" Tony asked him.

"I was looking through the postal database to see if either of them had shipments made to here from Iraq in the past month," he explained with a bit of a proud smirk, "One fairly heavy crate was delivered to a storage facility not far from here, and placed in a prepaid locker. It was in McDonnell's name." Tony squinted as his view went back to the woman in interrogation.

"So she shipped the bodies back from Iraq...why was it heavy?" he asked.

"Probably filled with dirt as well," Ziva suggested. "Have you found the crate?"

"Called the storage place, but the locker is empty. Not even a trace of dirt or anything."

"Most likely, they didn't open it until they were at the site where they dropped the skeletal remains," Tony suggested.

*~.~*

"This isn't what you think," McDonnell explained to Gibbs.

"What is it that I think?" Gibbs cocked his head.

"You think I killed those men," she replied.

"How else would you have known where to find them? And why would you bring them back here?"

"I brought them back here to be found," she said, her eyes getting red and glassy. "Once I knew Carter was dead, we went back to get them, and shipped them here...to be found."

"You haven't really answered either of my questions," Gibbs glared. She looked down at the table top nervously.

"I didn't want to destroy Carter's good name, Sir," she said, then looked back up at him. "He was a good man. But what he did was wrong, and I couldn't keep letting their families suffer anymore." He looked at her to continue.

"What happened in March 2008?" he asked calmly. Her eyes became distant as recalled the day they'd lost part of their team...

"They were just kids," she began, a tear rolling down her cheek. "Carter wanted to take them out on a reconnaissance tour deep in Fallujah. It was supposed to be safe. Just seeing the sites...but they got spooked...Remmings and Baxter were terrified. Stupid, really...there was nothing to be afraid of. They pulled their weapons out. Locals became frenzied, running to take cover in their homes... Then a man came out with a gun. He was only trying to defend his family. We told the Privates to holster their weapons and stand down. But they aimed at the Iraqi. The man fired at them both, and Carter pulled his gun and told him to stand down. He complied."

"Then what?" he asked when she paused in her explanation.

"It was important for the people not to misunderstand what had happened there. We couldn't risk more enemies. Carter made a deal with them...told them he wouldn't report it. That we would bury the soldiers and report them MIA."

"And you went along with all this?" he squinted. She stared hard at him.

"Have you ever been completely torn my diplomacy and politics, Agent Gibbs?" she asked shakily. He didn't respond with more then a changed expression. "I was ordered...both of us were given orders never to speak of this. But both of us felt the guilt...we visited their families every time we returned home on leave," she lowered her head. "They never gave up hope that they could still be alive. And that tore me apart...every day... Once we heard of Carter's death, we went into action. We knew there'd be an investigation, but we didn't think anyone would figure it our until after we'd left."

Silence filled the room. Gibbs considered her confession for a moment before standing. "We're gonna need your statement," he said, "Someone will bring you upstairs so you can get started." He made his way toward the door. His team met him in the hall. "Ziva..."

"Take her upstairs and have her write out her statement," she finished for him. He nodded as she passed him.

"McGee, get Braxton into interrogation. DiNozzo, see if his story confirms hers."

"Right, Boss..."

* * *

Gibbs walked into Vance's office after the secretary told him it was okay to go in. "I see you brought in two lieutenants for interrogation," Vance said as Gibbs approached the desk.

"They confessed to dumping the remains," he told him.

"But not to murder?"

"They claim an Iraqi citizen killed them, and they were under orders to cover it up."

"And their commanding officer?"

"Died a week ago."

"Kinda strange they'd go to all the trouble of unearthing the bodies and bringing them to D.C when clearly they could've left it alone and avoided suspicion."

"I think that's the point, Director," he told him. "If they'd had any part in their deaths, they wouldn't have brought them back. They would've left them there."

"I don't suppose you have any proof to back up their story," he squinted and Gibbs made no gesture. "What am I supposed to tell the families of the victims?"

"That they died in Iraq in the line of duty. That's the truth....And that their killer was brought to justice."

"Was he?"

"According to the lieutenants, their commanding officer took him out. The cover up was for the sake of diplomacy. I'm sure you can relate to that," he squinted. Vance shifted the toothpick to the other side of his mouth. "Question now is, do we charge them with something?"

"Other then the way they went about getting them back to the U.S, seems to me like they were just following orders." Gibbs was wary of the director's response.

"You knew about this already, didn't you?" Gibbs suspected. Vance didn't reply, but fingered the toothpick that he chewed on. "How long before you were gonna tell me?"

"I didn't know until recently. But as you seem to already be aware, I have diplomacy to uphold. I trust that won't be a problem?" Gibbs cocked his head as his eyes searched the air around them. "I'll need those statements destroyed," he told the agent.

"And the bodies?" he asked.

"Cremated and returned to their families."

"And the Lieutenants?"

"They're being shipped out tomorrow. Their orders are to keep their mouths shut about the whole ordeal from here on out. And I'm thinkin' they're not bad at following orders."

Gibbs nodded, though slightly unsure about the situation. But he would go along with it. This wasn't the first time they'd covered something up...and it probably wouldn't be the last. Vance sat down in his chair as Gibbs turned to walk out.

He picked up his phone and took it off hold, "Senator? The problem has been taken care of...yes, Sir. Understood." Vance hung up the phone, then took the pick from his mouth and tossed it into the trash.

* * *

As Gibbs descended the staircase, he noticed his team standing together, now looking up at him as he came down. "My office," he told them as he came to the final set of stairs, and they all met up as they walked into the elevator. Hitting the floor to autopsy, he waited for it to begin moving before hitting the emergency switch.

"Cover-up, Boss?" Tony affirmed. Gibbs nodded.

"The lieutenants were escorted out by Carter's commander," McGee said. "I assume they'll be given orders?" Gibbs nodded a second time, squinting.

"I have the statements in my desk," Ziva told him, "I will make sure to destroy them myself."

"I'll get the tags from the lab," Tony offered. Gibbs cocked his head at his agents and smirked. He reached back to the emergency switch and the room once again came to life and began its descent toward autopsy.

"You figure all this out on your own?" he queried.

"Tony, actually," McGee replied. Gibbs looked at the senior agent.

"Kinda had that diplomatic bullshit feel to it, Boss," he squinted with a less-than-enthusiastic smirk. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Gibbs turned to walk out, looking back briefly before the doors closed. Tony had looked like he'd wanted to ask him something, but the time had passed.

He stepped into autopsy to see if Ducky, too, had hypothesized the plan...

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**for the sake of getting something up tonight, im uploading this now. 'Chapter ending in odd place' award goes to......! **


	20. Chapter 20

Night had fallen outside of the NCIS building where the team was still seated in the bullpen. They'd finished their work, but were seemingly all somehow feeling the need to stay. Tony decided to end the silence.

"Hey, Boss?" he asked and Gibbs looked up at him from his screen. "I was thinkin' about goin' for a beer. I mean...if we're all done here...wanna go?" Gibbs glanced at the other agents before settling back on him.

"No," he cocked his head. Tony seemed to be disappointed in the answer, but tried to play it off. "But you can all come have one at my place. If you want..." he looked back down at his desk as he straightened a pile of papers.

The agents all shared glances, slightly taken back at the unexpected and uncharacteristic offer. None of them would pass up it up; whether because of excitement or fear.

* * *

"So Gibbs must miss Abby pretty bad to invite us all over," Tony smirked in Ziva's direction.

"Perhaps he simply wanted to avoid the bar scene, Tony."

"If that were the case, he could've just declined."

"Are you afraid to go to Gibbs' house or something?" she smirked at him. He glanced at her, making a face before turning his attention back to the road.

"Don't be ridiculous, Zi," he laughed. "Why would I be afraid?"

"Because we all remember what you said to him last week," he smiled deviously. He made a noisy sigh in embarrassment. "So tell me...is that how you really feel about him?" Tony squinted. "Or did you really think your father was in the room at the time?" He was quiet for a moment, and she could see that he was thinking over the question. Ziva's smile faded as she didn't want him to feel embarrassed to answer.

"Never really...consciously thought about it before," he finally said. "But yeah...Gibbs has always been more of a dad to me then my own." After a moment, she decided to reply.

"I understand," she said simply. He glanced at her for a moment. Her gaze had fallen to the dashboard. "I feel the same way."

He reached over and took her hand lazily in his, giving it a light squeeze as his attention stayed on the road.

* * *

Just couple of beers in, McGee decided to head home. But not before a few perfectly timed nags from Tony. To which he retorted, "I'll see you tomorrow, best bud," Tim smirked at Tony, who's face suddenly lost the amused expression and was replaced with a cocked jaw. Ziva laughed through her nose and Tony spun back around to face the kitchen table again, where they'd all decided to spend the evening with their beer. He opened the top off another bottle.

"That's your fifth beer," Gibbs said. "You supposed to be drinkin' that much with the meds?"

"Not on the meds anymore, Boss," he said and took a swig. Gibbs cocked his head.

"Either way, I've got one left. So that's your last."

"Oh...sorry. Didn't realize I'd gone through your whole supply..." he scratched nervously at his neck. "So, any more word on how Abby's doing?" Gibbs didn't expect the question.

"Not since this morning," he replied.

"Did they say if they think she'll recover?" he continued.

"Didn't say she wouldn't," he told him, then took a long swig of his beer. Desperate to change the subject, he decided to turn the questions on his agent. "How's your chest healing up?"

"It's gone from sickly-purple, to pukish-yellow. Prove it to ya if there's a shot of bourbon in it for me," he grinned.

"Didn't know you set out to get sloshed tonight, DiNozzo."

"Pleasantly buzzed, was more the goal," his eyes shifted from Gibbs' slightly before looking back at him. Ziva stood.

"Need to use the bathroom," she mumbled as she left the room. They watched her go, then Gibbs looked back at Tony.

"Still in pain?" Gibbs asked before taking another swig. Tony met his gaze though his head was slightly facing downward.

"If I said yes, would you make me stay home tomorrow?" Gibbs cocked his head again.

"You seemed to be able to do your job today."

"Didn't hurt till a little bit before we left."

"So instead of going home and takin' your meds, you turned to drinkin'?"

"I'll tell you the truth, Boss...the new meds aren't very helpful. The old meds make me ridiculously doped. I end up makin' crazy phone calls and sayin' crazy things to my boss..." Gibbs smirked as he stood from the table. He motioned for Tony to follow him as he went to the stairs to the basement.

By the time Tony reached the bottom, Gibbs had already poured two glasses, each with a shot of bourbon, and handed one of them to his agent. He gladly accepted and tossed the drink back with ease, wincing a bit after he swallowed.

"That's 125 proof, DiNozzo," he argued.

"Yeah...sip it, I know," he finished for him. Gibbs smirked as he shook his head, and took a sip from his own glass. Tony felt the alcohol hit him with a warm swirl in his head, and he decided to take a seat on one of the stools. "Ya know," he laughed lightly, as what he was going to say would be a little awkward. "When I called ya 'dad'..."

"I know. You were doped up, Tony," he interrupted with a smirk.

"Yeah...maybe so. But I didn't mean to insult you." Gibbs squinted in question. "You're nothing like my dad. He's an asshole. Never cared much about me," he thumbed the empty glass in his hand. "What I meant," he looked up at his boss, who was intently and patiently waiting for him to continue, "Was that you're more like a dad to me then he is...of course," he laughed, "I don't even think that it's possible...you're not old enough."

"Old enough," he told him. "He did one good thing, though."

"What's that?" he smirked. Gibbs cocked his head.

"For whatever reason, whatever he did, it somehow lead you to us." Tony considered his words, and they both looked up as they heard Ziva coming down the stairs.

"I was wondering where you went off to," she said as she approached them. "It is getting late."

"Yeah," Gibbs agreed, "I think you should drive, Ziva." Tony took that as his cue to get up. He started to follow Ziva up the stairs, then felt Gibbs hand on his shoulder. He looked back at him. "Take your meds tomorrow," he told him. "Can't come to work drunk."

"Gotcha, Boss," he smirked.

* * *

"Have I told you how much I love you?" Tony asked Ziva as he kissed down her neck where she lay on the bed.

"Often," she smiled as he continued his administrations. "Mmmm..." she moaned as he took a nipple into his mouth.

"Good."

"Tony..." she pulled his head back up to hers and he crushed his mouth down on hers, and as he passionately kissed her, she could feel his erection against her hip. Then she said something that he never thought he'd hear her say to him... "I want you to fuck me..." whispered against his mouth. He groaned deep in his throat and he felt her hand reach down and grasp him.

Unintelligible words came from his mouth as she guided him to her entrance and pressed her hips up as he pressed into her. He was suddenly inspired, and spun them so that he was standing off the side of the bed, moving between her spread legs once more. Tony held her legs up under her knees as he entered her again. He pushed them back as far as she was comfortable with, and the position elicited another sound of pleasure from her.

"Harder, Tony..." she breathed. "Please!" He wouldn't deny her. He began pounding into her at a steady rhythm; their bodies making a small slapping sound with each impact. Tony felt her orgasm begin and he sped up his rhythm. She was shouting his name, and her eyes shot open to look at him; a look that sent him right over the edge with her...

As he collapsed next to her on the bed, she rolled to face him on her side. Her hand lightly grazed the yellowish healing bruise that still marked his skin. "I'm sorry, Zi," he said as he tried to catch his breath.

"For what?" she furrowed her brow.

"That ended a lot quicker then I'd planned. I know it might sound a bit cliché, but this doesn't usually happen...just something about you that makes me...I don't know..." he blushed as he grinned.

"We were both satisfied, Tony," she said as she gave him a kiss, then laid her head carefully on his shoulder. "And it is refreshing to have a man who can pleasure me and still be awake to talk to me. Most men pass out afterward...very insulting," and then she heard a soft snoring sound coming from him. Her head shot up to look at his closed eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but his eyes shot open and he gave her a big smile.

"Just kidding, Zi," he said. "That was for being a bad ninja the other night." She squinted as she sat up and straddled him. Unexpectedly, her hands went to his sides, cautious not to touch the bruising in any way, and she began to tickle him with well-placed squeezes. "Oh no no no! Not fair!" he tried to hold in the laughter as he attempted to pull away her hands.

Failing miserably, he decided to flip her towards his right side and grabbed inside her mid-thigh and began to mimic the squeezing tickles to the one place he was sure she was ticklish. She squealed and her hands flew to where he was tickling her. "Stop, Tony!" she laughed as he kept her from pulling his hand away. "Stoooop!"

"Ooo I think I found the secret to taking down a Mossad officer," he grinned. Truth be told, she knew exactly how to get out of this, but she didn't want to hurt him in the process. So she spun around, deliberately falling off the end of the bed and crashing to the floor. "Oh my god, Zi! Are you okay?" he sprang from the bed and knelt down beside her.

She took her opportunity, and reached down right above each of his knees and began another attack. "Oh!" he spun around, straddling her legs to keep her from squirming away. "You wanna play dirty? Alright then," he began tickling her feet, and heard her start to laugh in such a way he'd never heard from her before. It made him smile.

"Tony, I will hurt you!" she said between laughter.

"Bring it on, Sweetcheeks," he smiled. Then he felt himself being flipped over onto his back, and somehow she was now straddling him again; her face mere inches from his. Both of them still wore big grins.

"Truce," she requested.

"You afraid I'll win?" his arms wrapped around her back.

"I am afraid I will hurt you," she squinted. Then she gave him a chaste kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too..."

* * *

**One week later...**

"Where's Ducky?" Gibbs said when he walked into autopsy only to find Palmer.

"He uh...said he had to run a personal errand," Jimmy told him. "But he left the autopsy report with me." Gibbs walked up to the cold table of their latest victim. "Gunshot wound to the right temple was self-inflicted. No self-defense indications, and a blood-alcohol level of .16." Gibbs nodded at the explanation.

"When's he supposed to get back?" he asked.

"I'm...not exactly sure, Agent Gibbs. He left a couple of hours ago. Said he'd be back before the end of the work day." Gibbs had already made his way out the door and toward the elevator.

* * *

Tony, Ziva and Tim all stood around the big screen in the bullpen going over the information found on the latest victim. The ding of the elevator didn't pull their attention away as they discussed the case. It wasn't until they heard a familiar voice in the bullpen.

"Hey, guys!" they spun around toward the sound of Abby's voice. She stood there with Ducky. Her hair was in braided pigtails and she wore a typical Abby ensemble along with a smile.

"Abby!" they said in unison as they all surrounded her, giving each other a chance to welcome her back with a hug.

"You sound great!" McGee said.

"Everything's back to normal," Abby told them. "Except my singing is a little blotchy. But that's okay. No more singing along at concerts."

"Coming back to work already?" Tony asked.

"Of course!" she replied, "Are you kidding? I haven't seen my babies in over a week and a half!"

"Well, we are glad to have you back, Abby," Ziva said with a smile.

"I'd better get down to autopsy," Ducky said as he turned.

"Yeah, Gibbs went down there to check up on the vic," Tony told him.

"Poor Mr. Palmer...I do hope Jethro didn't take my absence out on him," he said as he pressed the button on the elevator. The doors opened to reveal Gibbs inside. His glare made him a tad nervous. "Ah, Jethro. I know you're upset that I left without telling you why..."

"Gibbs!" Abby ran toward the elevator, and Ducky watched Gibbs' glare vanish as astonishment took over his face. Abby ran in and threw her arms around his neck in an embrace that knocked him back a few steps.

"I'll take the stairs," Ducky said as the doors closed.

"I missed you so much, Gibbs!" she squeezed him. His arms squeezed around her back, as if to make sure she was really there.

"Abs, you're voice sounds great," he said once he realized she'd been talking in perfect clarity. She pulled away gently.

"Thanks. I was really surprised, myself, at how fast it started to get better." His hands held her face as he searched her eyes.

"I'm really glad you're home," he told her as his thumbs stroked at her hairline. She smiled. "I missed you," he said as he leaned in and kissed her forehead.

_"I love you," _she signed. He smiled.

_"Love you forever, Abby..." _he signed back. Suddenly the elevator doors opened again, and they realized they hadn't pressed a button, and had remained on that floor. For a moment, the three agents stood there in silence; not wanting to enter the elevator, but unsure how to escape the situation. Then Abby hit the button to take her down to the lab.

"Next one," she winked at them as the door closed. Ziva and McGee looked at Tony who's face now wore a grin.

"I guess you were right," Ziva told him.

"Right about what?" McGee asked. But they didn't answer as they made their way to the stairwell. "Right about what, Tony?" he asked again a little louder as he followed them. Ziva laughed through her nose.

"You're a trained investigator, Probie," Tony said. "Figure it out." But then he stopped and turned around, "Better yet, don't. 'Cause Gibbs would probably kill you." Tim stood there for a moment as the other agents entered the stairwell. He searched the air in front of him as his thought process began. Then his eyes widened a bit and he shot into the stairwell after them.

"No way!" he said as he caught up to them.

"Way," Tony said.

"How do you know?"

"Gut feeling, Probie." They remained silent for the remainder of their descent. Just one more little comment before exiting the stairwell.

"No way..." Tim said one last time, and Ziva laughed again, smacking him playfully on the back of his head.

"Get ahold of yourself, McGee. You walk around with your mouth hanging open like that, something might fly in there and lay eggs." McGee abruptly shut his mouth as the exited the stairwell to go to autopsy.

"Thanks for that image, Ziva," he said with an almost immediate change of color to his face.

"Good!" Tony said, "Every time you think of what you just figured out, think of what Ziva said. That'll help you to shut up about it."

"Shut up about what?" Ducky asked as they approached the table.

"Nothing, Ducky," Tim said, "Forget about it."

"Perfect!" Tony said with a grin, "See he's getting it already, Ziva. Our little Probie..." he dramatized with fake tears and a sniffle, "Is growing up to be a man."

"Why are you down here playin' house?" Gibbs asked as he walked in behind them. They spun around when they heard his voice.

"Just checkin' on the autopsy findings, Boss," Tony answered for them.

"Suicide," Gibbs said, cocking his head.

"You already...oh..." Ziva realized he must've gotten the report from Palmer.

"You alright, McGee?" Gibbs asked when he saw the green color of his face. Tim panicked a bit.

"Yeah, Boss..." he swallowed down the bile.

"Okay, McGee," Tony barely whispered. "Maybe that's not the best thing to think about..."

"Why are you still here?" Gibbs barked. The three agents piled out of the room without another word. Ducky waited until they were out of sight, to give Gibbs a small smile. One Gibbs returned before taking a sip of his coffee...

* * *

**FIN!**

**That was the last chapter—woo! Might be a sequel...might not be. If it is, it'll be a play off of other character happenings, and not Abby's medical issues. Hope you liked! And sorry it took an extra day to get up**


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